


Sakura and the Whirlwind of Discovery

by Shareon



Series: Sakura and the Scottish School of Magic [2]
Category: Cardcaptor Sakura, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-01
Updated: 2014-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:08:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 110,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25027450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shareon/pseuds/Shareon
Summary: Sakura returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the 1992-1993 school year. There she starts to develop her own magic as the Chamber of Secrets is opened. A Cardcaptor Sakura continuation set in the Harry Potter universe. Sequel to "Sakura and the Scottish School of Magic."
Series: Sakura and the Scottish School of Magic [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805179
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	1. Sakura's Uncomfortable Revelation

Title: Sakura and the Whirlwind of Discovery

Author: Shareon

Summary: Sakura returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the 1992-1993 school year. There she starts to develop her own magic as the Chamber of Secrets is opened. A Cardcaptor Sakura continuation set in the Harry Potter universe. Sequel to "Sakura and the Scottish School of Magic."

* * *

Chapter 1: Sakura's Uncomfortable Revelation

The persistent tapping noise was just loud enough and just annoying enough to finally wake up Sakura. In her new semi-conscious state, the hazy mists of the dream she had been experiencing quickly burned away in the early morning sunlight.

She had apparently been thrashing about in her sleep. Her bedsheets had become tangled around her various limbs in a rather uncomfortable way. With a mostly-awakened mind, it was a simple matter to untangle them and untwist her pajamas. This relieved the vague discomfort she felt all over her body.

Before she could finish bringing order to the chaos which surrounded her, the tapping on the window repeated itself. Sakura directed her bleary eyes over to peer at the source of the incessant noise. She didn't see anything too special. It was only a large bird standing on the windowsill just outside.

The red light of the rising sun glinted sharply off of the bird's feathers. It took a few more seconds of staring to realize that it wasn't just the bright sunlight which was causing the bird to appear with such vivid colors; its bright red and gold plumage almost glowed with a light all its own.

The bird seemed to notice Sakura's blank stare. It flapped both of its wings twice and then returned to pecking at the window, faster and more insistently than before.

"What's that noise?" Keroberos asked in his characteristic Osaka accent. He seemed to be half-asleep, just like Sakura felt. He had probably been awoken by the persistent annoyance of the strange bird as well.

"I don't know. Some bird's pecking at the window," Sakura answered.

"Then why don't ya go see what it wants then?" Keroberos asked, as if it were a common everyday occurrence.

"Hoe..." Sakura complained. Nevertheless she climbed out of her disheveled bed and made her way over to the bird. She then carefully opened the window, ready to quickly slam it shut if the creature tried to do anything too strange.

Even with the window fully open, the bird didn't do anything alarming. It hopped up onto the window frame and held out a leg towards Sakura. A piece of parchment had been wrapped around and then tied to said leg. At the unspoken invitation, Sakura reached out and untied it. The tight knot made the act a bit harder than it could have been to Sakura's still sleepy fingers, but in short order she had liberated the scroll.

Once its missive had been safely delivered, the bird turned around and without so much as a single cry it took to the air. It flapped furiously, quickly rising in the air until it was lost in the sky.

Sakura unfurled the scroll and quickly scanned it over. As expected, it had to do with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The only messages she ever received via avian carrier were in regards to the magical school. Everybody else instead opted for a more traditional delivery system, or at least a more muggle one considering what the witches and wizards in Britain were accustomed to.

Overall the message the scroll contained managed to be even less surprising than the similar letter she had received a year ago in regard to attending Hogwarts. She had known this letter was coming for quite some time. She hadn't been very surprised back then either. Kaho had told her to expect the letter prior to it having arrived. Even so, this year's message still managed to surpass the previous year's one in non-news. In addition to the knowledge that a letter would be forthcoming, she had also guessed the mechanism for delivery as well. Even the letter's contents weren't a surprise. On the whole it looked very similar to the letter inviting her to her first year at the magical school.

"What is it?" Keroberos asked. He floated over to hover just above Sakura's shoulder.

"It looks like the letter from Hogwarts," Sakura said.

"Why'd they have to send that now? Couldn't they have waited a few more hours? It's not like we can do do much about it in Japan," Keroberos complained. "So, have ya decided yet?"

"I think so," Sakura said. "I'm going to go back to Hogwarts."

Keroberos nodded, then asked, "Have ya told 'em yet?"

"No," Sakura admitted.

When she had first returned to Japan she hadn't said anything about the coming school year because she hadn't known what she was going to do. The coincidence of timing with the Japanese school system's summer holiday had removed the immediate need to decide what she was going to do in the future. Was she going to go back to Hogwarts, or was she going to return to a more traditional education in Japan? She knew what she wanted to do. She had learned so much and had so much fun in the United Kingdom, albeit had so many trials and tribulations as well, that of course she wanted to go back to Hogwarts. The only issue was what that meant in terms of her family and her future.

Once she had concluded that one more year abroad wasn't enough to cause insurmountable problems back in Japan, she had told herself she wouldn't say anything because she didn't know if the school would allow her to return for a second year. Now, with the school supply list in hand, she knew she was rapidly running out of reasons to wait.

"Ya better tell 'em soon," Keroberos lightly chastised her.

"I know. I was just waiting for..." Sakura said, but then shook her head, "it doesn't matter. I'll tell them today."

The main reason she had waited so long was that she would need to tell her father of her decision. She expected he wouldn't present too much of an issue directly. He had always being very respectful of Sakura's decisions. However, Sakura felt that she owed an explanation for the decision as well. That in turn meant finally telling him about magic. She suspected he knew, and she knew he suspected, but that didn't make the prospect of the upcoming conversation any easier.

"I see," Keroberos said. "Let's take a look at that list then."

Sakura turned her attention back to the scroll she held in her hand. Keroberos hovered just behind her shoulder so he could read it at the same time. Her English was far better than it had been a year prior. A full school year spent poring over textbooks and scrolls had seen to that. She was able to quickly skim over the missive. The instructions to board the Hogwarts Express were well known to her, as was the beginning of the section explaining school supplies. She only paused when she hit an unfamiliar English word. She asked Keroberos, "What does this word mean? 'Gadding?'"

"'Gadding?' Where do ya see that?" Keroberos asked.

"Right here," Sakura said. She released the bottom of the scroll to point at the entry. This proved to be a mistake as the freed end of the scroll rolled upward into a loose and unreadable curl.

"Hoe," Sakura said as she unrolled the scroll again. "Down there, in the book list. Do you see? 'Gadding with Ghouls.'" The English phrase sounded out of place in the steady flow of Japanese.

"No idea," Keroberos admitted. "What's with all these books by Gilderoy Lockhart?"

"I don't know. I guess he's an important wizard or something," Sakura said.

She released the end of the scroll, letting it roll back up into a loose curl again. The timing of the message delivery was actually somewhat auspicious. She was going to be meeting Tomoyo later today. She was sure her friend would like to take a look at the genuine letter from the magical world. She wouldn't be surprised if Tomoyo asked to keep it as a souvenir.

That was for later, though. There was still time to catch a bit more sleep before the day began in earnest. She tossed the scroll onto her desk and went back to her bed.

After some hesitation, Sakura changed her mind and decided that getting an early start on the day might be a better idea. Now that she had made up her mind to tell her father about her magic, she doubted she'd be able to relax enough to sleep anymore anyway.

* * *

If only a Sakura Card would go rampant. That would be most convenient. That, or maybe Yue would get it in his mind to re-test Sakura. She had certainly never thought that there would be a time when she would look back at her confrontation with Eriol with longing at how much more relaxed that situation had been.

"Whatever it is, I promise that I'll always love you," Fujitaka assured Sakura. He obviously could see his daughter's nervousness. Not that that was at all surprising. Sakura was fidgeting so much that even the weather lady on the television across the room could probably tell she was nervous.

Sakura had put it off for all these years, surely she could put it off another day.

No. It'd been far too long already. She wanted to go back to Hogwarts, and her father should know the real reason. Moreover he deserved to finally know the truth of everything. Or to finally have the truth confirmed in the event that he already suspected.

She took a deep breath and said as firmly as she could, "I can do magic."

"Of course you can, Sakura-san," Fujitaka said, without batting an eye. "Every day with you is magical."

"No," Sakura said, correcting her father and avoiding the easy escape from the conversation. "I mean I can do magic."

"Is this some kind of game? What do you need me to do?" Fujitaka asked, providing another convenient excuse if Sakura wanted to back out.

Sakura was sorely tempted to take the excuse but instead bravely pressed on. She said, "No. It's true. I can do real magic. Watch."

She pulled out the Key and the Sakura Cards, which she always carried around with her ever since that escapade with The Song. She chanted the phrase which she had long memorized through repeated use. "Key which hides the powers of stars, show your true power before me. Under the contract, Sakura commands you. Release!"

The Key quickly grew to a more useful size, at which point Sakura threw The Fly into the air. She chanted out, "Fly, grant me wings so I may take to the sky. Fly!"

As has become second nature to her, Sakura brought the Key down. It intersected the boomeranging card and she channeled her magic through it. This caused a pair of wings to manifest on her back. At that point, she easily took to the air. She hovered just off the ground, bringing herself to be eye-level to her father.

"See? Like I said. Magic. Real magic," Sakura said.

"That's incredible, Sakura-san," Fujitaka said. His face remained remarkably calm. Either he had already known or he had an amazing poker face. Possibly both. His only reaction had been a quick flick of his eyes down to Sakura's feet. "How long have you been able to do this?"

"For a while," Sakura said. She avoided eye-contact and was staring at the floor.

"Can anybody do it? Where did you learn it?" Fujitaka asked.

"From... well... Kero-chan. Kero-chan?" Sakura called out, signaling for the plushie-lookalike to fly in from the next room over.

"Heyo!" Keroberos called out to Fujitaka with a big wave.

"Hello," Fujitaka said back, much less flamboyantly. He turned back to Sakura and said, "So for a few years now. Why are you telling me this now?"

"Well... you see..." Sakura said, still nervous. She held out the scroll she had received in the morning. "I want to go back to Hogwarts, and I thought you should know the real reason why. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's a magic school, you see."

Fujitaka took the scroll but only gave it the most cursory of glances. It was all in English so Sakura had no idea if her father was able to read it or not. He instead simply asked, "Okay. So is there anything in particular we need to do to let them know you're going back?"

In the end, that was it. No big shock at the revelation that magic was real. No angry accusations of why she had put herself into danger so many times collecting the cards. No big protest about her having kept it a secret from him all this time. Nothing Sakura had feared throughout these weeks and years had happened.

In retrospect, Sakura wasn't sure why she had thought her father would have had a major reaction. After all, both Tomoyo and Toya had had similarly subdued reactions upon finding out the truth that magic existed. In fact the only person who seemed to have been surprised at the discovery of magic had been Sakura herself, and half of her surprise at that initial encounter with magic was due to Keroberos's Osaka accent.

All in all, the announcement turned out to be rather anti-climactic, which suited Sakura just fine.

* * *

Sakura's relief after telling her father the truth about her magic was almost indescribable. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted from her shoulders. It had the added benefit of simplifying her life on a more practical level as well. For example, she no longer needed to surreptitiously hide her magical practice in the solitude of her bedroom. She was still careful near windows whenever a stranger could see what she was doing, but she no longer feared her family stumbling in at an inconvenient and inexplicable time.

It was true that Sakura had been warned not to use any magic over the summer. It was equally true that she wanted to stay in practice. More than that, she wanted to share some of her experiences from Hogwarts Castle with Tomoyo in a way that was more substantial than just hearsay stories. Now that she could be open with her father as well as her brother, it made both goals so much easier to achieve.

It was slow going at first. Sakura was worried what might happen if she pulled out her wand and started transfiguring things left and right. She had done some magic over the previous winter in Japan, but that had been before she had received the sternly worded letter prior to leaving Hogwarts for the summer which had admonition to not use magic over the break. She decided to start out slowly to see what would happened.

The first thing Sakura did, in the privacy of her home, was a bit of astronomy. She figured that if anything untoward happened she could pass it off as a muggle thing she was doing. The excuse would be equally valid whether she was caught by a wizard or witch or whether she was caught by a muggle. Despite her reasoning and her prepared explanation, she was still a bit nervous with her star charts spread out in front of her as she compared them to the dimly lit sky. As the seconds ticking by turned into minutes and nothing happened, she started to relax. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Maybe a siren to go off or maybe to be transported instantly to the headmaster's office at Hogwarts. However nothing of note happened at all except for her first realization of exactly how little she could see of the night sky in Tokyo. That realization brought with it a profound sense of disappointment.

The next thing she tried was some charms. As she did so she told herself there was no way that casting a simple Lumos charm could cause anybody any problems. This was the same neighborhood in which the Clow Cards had run rampant in what seemed like a lifetime ago, after all. Despite this she still held her breath for a few seconds after her first charm. When nothing untoward happened as a result she then tried a Ventus charm, then a Wingardium Leviosa charm, and then others.

She quickly moved on to potion brewing after that. Excepting that she could only attempt to make a very limited number of potions given how few ingredients she had access to, nothing exceptionally notable happened then either.

Once she was satisfied that she could perform at least some demonstration of what she had learned without causing a massive problem, it was an easy thing to include Tomoyo to show her what she had been doing at Hogwarts.

The first thing Tomoyo wanted to see, though, was Sakura's Hogwarts uniform. It was strange, but not too surprising. Sakura knew her best friend well enough to have predicted this and thus had brought her school robes with her when she visited Tomoyo's house the first day she felt free to show off her Western magic. She obligingly donned a shirt, skirt, robe, and tie just like if she had been in the spacious stone hallways of Hogwarts Castle.

The uniform did not meet with Tomoyo's approval. It was far too plain for her strict fashion sense. About the only thing which did catch Tomoyo's attention was the Ravenclaw insignia. While the intricate design of the house crest was certainly impressive, it wasn't nearly cute enough for Tomoyo's taste. Even the addition of the matching scarf Sakura wore in the cold Scottish winter months did little to appease Tomoyo. She was every bit as disappointed as Sakura had expected her to be.

With the more mundane demonstrations out of the way, Sakura and Tomoyo then started playing around with some of the Western magic Sakura had been learning at Hogwarts. This had mixed results. Sakura's charms, potions, transfigurations, and everything else worked just as well as always. If anything, her charms seemed to be doing better than ever now that she was out of the strict eye and constant stream of corrections from Professor Flitwick. The downside was that Tomoyo was extremely limited in what she could do in their play sessions. Extremely limited in this case meant that Tomoyo couldn't do anything even hinting at magic.

Given how Tomoyo was a muggle, Sakura would have been shocked if Tomoyo had been able to cast a charm. There was no way for her to wave a wand and cause a spark of light to appear. Tomoyo's inability to cast something like a Ventus charm was entirely expected. They just played around for the sake of having fun in that regard.

Somewhat less expected were potions and Tomoyo's equally unsuccessful attempts at brewing them. Unlike charms and transfigurations, potions seemed positively mundane. It was like cooking: mix flour with liquid and get a result, only in the case of potions it was more like mix flower with liquid and get a result. Magic seemed to have nothing to do with the equation. Despite that, Tomoyo's attempts at brewing a potion that Professor Snape had described as "the most banal of trivialities" had been utterly without effect. It hadn't been a spectacular failure. Nearby metal objects hadn't bent like rubber and eyebrows hadn't disappeared in vermilion puffs. Just absolutely nothing happened at all.

The first time could have been chalked up to some esoteric difference in the ingredients between Japan and the United Kingdom. The second time could have been some mistake Tomoyo had made which had gone unnoticed by her and Sakura. Both were easier to accept than the unexplained quandary of why muggles couldn't craft potions. Eriol had even mentioned once that muggles could use potions, so unlike wands there couldn't have been some strange magical core or something else in play.

They decided to try one last experiment. They went through a crafting session side-by-side with Sakura doing the exact same things as Tomoyo, just to see what the results would be.

"Now the book says to stir it with your right hand," Sakura translated from her Potions book. Both stood over the stove in the kitchen, carefully watching over their simmering concoctions.

"Like this?" Tomoyo asked. She gently stirred what appeared to be a thin broth in the steel pot in front of her with the glass rod she held in her hand.

"Right, just like that," Sakura confirmed as she mimicked the procedure in a similar pot in front of herself.

"How long are we supposed to stir it for?" Tomoyo asked.

"It says four turns, and then... hoe?" Sakura started replying before being taken off guard by the pot in front of her turning a milky white.

"What is it?" Tomoyo asked. She looked into Sakura's pot while she kept stirring her own. Hers concoction maintained its clear look of herbal soup. "Yours changed already? What did you do?"

"Just what I said out loud. Why didn't yours change too?" Sakura asked as she turned off the burner underneath her pot.

"I didn't see any difference between ya both," Keroberos commented from where he hovered off to the side.

"Maybe it'll just take a bit longer for mine?" Tomoyo suggested as she kept stirring.

"It should have changed by now," Sakura said pessimistically. She turned off Tomoyo's burner.

What made Sakura confused and pessimistic was nothing. Specifically she felt absolutely nothing from the pot in front of Tomoyo. In Potions class she would always be surrounded by vague impressions, like a sense of urgency right before Anthony's pot would erupt in a cloud of purple gas, or a feeling of completeness when she would add a pinch of belladonna to a simmering cauldron. Even now she felt a vague sense of discomfort from her own potion. However, Sakura felt absolutely nothing from Tomoyo's pot. This was despite the fact that her friend had done everything exactly the same way as Sakura had done.

"Why do you think it doesn't work for me?" Tomoyo asked.

"Got me," Keroberos said.

"Maybe somebody back at Hogwarts will know," Sakura speculated. It was yet another thing on her large and growing list of things to find out about once she returned to the United Kingdom.

Their latest experiment a failure, Sakura and Tomoyo quickly cleaned up the remnants of their potion making adventures. Sakura's family might all know about her magic now, but that didn't mean that she could leave things strewn about everywhere. It was Toya's turn to cook dinner, and Sakura wouldn't put it past her brother to tease her for leaving the kitchen a mess.

With their latest potions experiment completed, Sakura and Tomoyo were left with the question of what to do next. They still had a bit longer before Tomoyo would be expected to return home. Ultimately Sakura decided to return to practicing her charms, that being her weakest area and thus her standard topic to study when she didn't know what else to do.

Sometimes during these practice sessions, Tomoyo would thumb through Sakura's textbooks. However her limited English wasn't proficient enough to get more than a basic gist of the texts. Much more frequently Tomoyo would spend the time mimicking the motions and words Sakura used instead. They had no effect, but it didn't matter. Tomoyo just enjoyed spending time with Sakura. So while Sakura waved the Key about, casting the various charms she had learned the previous year, Tomoyo had Sakura's wand in hand and was doing very much the same.

Using the Key to practice sometimes had been Keroberos's suggestion, and Sakura appreciated it. She found it far easier to feel, and thus control, her magic when she used the Key than when she used her wand. Feeling the way the words and gestures she learned in class constricted how her magic manifested gave her some insight into what should be happening. It made it possible for her to notice when something wasn't quite right and something slipped through what she had intended. This knowledge was helpful for when she went back to using her wand, and she felt like it was leading to some significant improvements in her charm casting. It made the times she practiced with the Key very much worth it, even if using the Key left Sakura feeling noticeably more drained than when she used her wand.

"Lumos," Sakura said, waving the Key in the loop in the air that both Professor Flitwick as well as "The Standard Book of Spells" had described. Interestingly enough, "The Dark Forces" also described the Lumos charm for some reason, but that book failed to describe any specific wand movement.

Sakura could feel her magic going through the Key and collecting in front of her, much like she had felt countless times before. It consolidated into a single point and resulted in a bright pink almost crystal-like object appearing in the air in front of her. She was able to change the color of the charm as she summoned it, but its natural color seemed to be pink. Sakura liked the shade so she usually didn't bother trying to change it.

Right beside her, Tomoyo waved Sakura's wand in the same loop and said, "Lumos." She spoke with a distinct accent, pronouncing the word more like "ruemosu." Unsurprisingly, nothing happened as a result of Tomoyo's actions.

Sakura let the light disappear before she summoned it again. She would repeat this a few more times before moving on to the next charm, like the Ventus charm or the Wingardium Leviosa charm. 

They continued like this for about an hour before Tomoyo had to return home for the day.

* * *

"I'm back," Sakura announced as she entered her home.

The announcement turned out to be unnecessary. Her brother was apparently still out working a part-time job and her father was nowhere to be seen. Given the time of the day she suspected her father was out grocery shopping or something. Keroberos was with her as she entered which meant that there was nobody to return the traditional greeting.

With her home to herself, Sakura went to pick up the pile of mail which had been delivered earlier in the day.

She quickly flipped past the first two envelopes, both bills, before the third one caught her attention. The carefully written yet still almost illegibly sloppy address on the cover of the letter marked it as having been sent by Anthony. It was a look shared by all of the letters from her British friends.

Unlike the messages delivered by bird, the letter from her British friend had on the front of its envelope the carefully written Japanese symbols indicating Sakura's address. The British people copying the unfamiliar symbols from Sakura's already imperfect handwriting resulted in a very distinctive and barely legible appearance. As a result, all of their envelopes carried the same look of unnaturalness to the casual Japanese eye. It was a testament to the post office's diligence that the letters still managed to make it to her.

Anthony had written the most to Sakura over the summer. This was despite Lisa's muggle mother possibly giving her extra insight into how the muggle mail system worked. Lisa wrote a fair number of letters as well, but her efforts were edged out by Anthony's frequent correspondence. He always made time to write to her despite being hard at work at his family's inn. Gloria had written a couple of letters as well, but not nearly as many as the other two. Sakura still found it hard to imagine the active Gryffindor girl sitting still at a desk with a writing utensil clenched in hand.

Sakura opened the envelope. It revealed the messy but more much naturally flowing English script of Anthony's letter inside. She skimmed through the letter as quickly as she could, only slightly challenged by the somewhat sloppy handwriting in Sakura's non-native language. Apparently he still found the idea that a person was physically carrying the actual paper he was writing on all the way around the world bemusing and utterly unbelievable. He wondered how they had enough staff to handle all of the messages if each one was being hand-carried by a single person to a destination across the ocean; and why they weren't charging top galleon prices for the service. In more personal news, their inn was positively bustling as well. They were talking about expanding it. Anthony was worried about the cost, but the family didn't seem to pay his opinion half as much attention as that of his brother. Relatedly, his brother was acting like quite a "git" it seemed. While Sakura wasn't quite sure what that meant she was fairly sure the term wasn't meant as a compliment.

Sakura was idly flipping through the remainder of the mail and thinking about what parts, if any, of her latest experiments with potions to write back to him about when another letter appeared which drove all the other thoughts from her head.

The handwriting showed none of the stiff artificiality that indicated it had been sent by one of her friends from Hogwarts. Indeed she instantly recognized the handwriting as being from Syaoran. Without ceremony, Sakura quickly ripped open the envelope and tore into the letter like a dehydrated woman into a glass of water.

At the first sentence Sakura's heart almost jumped into her throat. Syaoran would be able to join her at school this year. His interest in Hogwarts and Western magic in general had been one of the major reasons she would be returning there. Even if he hadn't been able to join her, she would still have wanted to learn as much as she could there due to his interest. In the worst case she would be able to show him and Mei-Ling some of the magic she was learning. However, not so secretly she had also been hoping that they would be able to join her there.

Even better, it looked like Syaoran might be able to join her in the second-year classes as well. He would need to pass some magical test called a W.O.M.B.A.T., but he was sure he would be able to do so easily despite Kaho's warnings that the test was very difficult.

The next paragraph managed to completely crush Sakura's good mood, though. It seemed that Mei-Ling would not in fact be able to join them at Hogwarts. Some tests at some office in Hong Kong had confirmed that she was apparently a squib, meaning that she had absolutely no magical potential at all. Despite the generally low magical requirements needed for Western magic, Mei-Ling wouldn't have any more access to it than she did to Eastern magic.

Sakura could only continue reading on autopilot after that bit of crushing news. She barely registered Syaoran's explanation that as Hong Kong was a British colony there would be no issue with using a portkey to travel across the world from there to England and his suggestion of some rough travel plans which might work. The letter finally came to a conclusion with some generic formalities.

After she finished reading Syaoran's letter, Sakura quickly scanned through the rest of the mail in her hands. Nothing struck her as being particularly interesting as she flipped through them in a very wooden manner. She simply carried them into an appropriate place where her brother and father would find and deal with them.

At least Syaoran would be able to join her this year which she thought was good news. No, she was sure that that was good news. Furthermore, she was sure Tomoyo would want to hear about that particularly good news as well. For that matter, the ability to use a portkey from Hong Kong opened up all sorts of possibilities for traveling. She would need to mention that as well before Tomoyo's mother booked any plane tickets.

Despite having seen her just an hour earlier, Sakura picked up the phone to dial Tomoyo and let her know these latest developments.

* * *

Practice may or may not make perfect, but it certainly made things easier. After having packed several times, both for going to and returning from the United Kingdom, Sakura was well practiced. On the other hand, she could have been having an easier packing due to the fact that she was simply bringing less stuff than before.

Her time at Hogwarts over the past year had provided a great deal of insight into what she actually needed to bring with her and what she had expected to need but had never actually used in school. Even with the addition of her wand and the other paraphernalia she had brought back to Japan, it felt like she was packing fewer things than on her first trip.

"Done," Sakura announced, relieved.

"Already?" Keroberos asked. "Sure ya got everything?"

"I think so," Sakura said.

"Ya got yer shirts?" Keroberos asked.

Sakura pulled up a few layers of clothing in her suitcase to check, and then confirmed, "Yes."

"And yer skirts?" Keroberos asked.

"Yes," Sakura said, seeing them right below the shirts.

"Underwear? Socks? Shoes? Robes? Toothbrush? Toothpaste? Brush? Comb?" Keroberos asked, continuing to name things.

Sakura confirmed all of them.

"What about the books? There's Astronomy, Charms, Transfiguration..." Keroberos asked, moving on to the more magical aspects of the trip.

"I'm not bringing them," Sakura said. They were still visibly sitting on her desk, no longer tucked away in a hidden corner. Seeing how her father now knew about her magical abilities and the nature of her studies at Hogwarts, there was almost no reason to hide them anymore. Sakura continued, answering the unasked question, "They're heavy, and the Hogwarts and Ravenclaw libraries both have lots of copies of the first-year books if I need to look up something from last year."

Keroberos nodded in understanding. He had had to carry most of them himself at some point or another.

"What about yer wand?" Keroberos asked.

"Here," Sakura said, showing it. "I'm going to be carrying it, and the cards, and the Key."

"That's everything I can think of. Funny. I thought there'd be more," Keroberos said. Both he and Sakura stared at the only half-full suitcase.

"Me too," Sakura said, thinking back to the previous year when she had only barely been able to fit the book containing the Sakura Cards into her backpack.

She looked around, thinking of what she had excluded which she could now fit in with the extra space she had available. Her gaze naturally settled on the stuffed doll in the pink and yellow cape sitting on her bed, not coincidentally reminding her of the Final Judgment she had faced with Yue. She picked it up and placed it next to the gray stuffed bear she had received from Syaoran already lying in her suitcase.

Another look around the room and her eye next fell on her red and white skates, along with her helmet and safety pads. She walked over and picked them up. There would be enough room for them as well, not that there was any reason to bring them.

"What're ya bringing them for? Ya can't use 'em, remember?" Keroberos asked, pointing out what Sakura already knew.

"Too bad. It'd be nice. There's not too much else to do in the castle," Sakura said with a sigh. For a magical school, there was surprisingly little to do there. They didn't really have any clubs she'd heard of, and besides Quidditch there didn't seem to be very much to do at all. When she got too restless she could always go exploring the castle with Gloria. While they still frequently found new secrets hidden away in various hallways or closets, Sakura longed for something a bit more predictable and reliable than simply poking around Hogwarts Castle.

"Maybe, but I doubt they've suddenly paved the road to the castle or anything over the summer. Those witches and wizards teleport and fly any time they got to go anywhere long distance," Keroberos said.

"I know. It's a shame that..." Sakura said, but then trailed off. A thought just struck her. Flying. The Fly. Maybe it was possible. She snatched up the skates and the associated safety equipment and placed them in her suitcase. They neatly filled the remaining space.

"What're ya doing? We just said ya can't use 'em," Keroberos said.

"I just had an idea, Kero-chan," Sakura answered. It was too bad she had only just had it now. If she had thought of it a few weeks ago she could have spent part of her time over the summer experimenting. On the other hand, it would likely be much easier to experiment in the United Kingdom, what with being able to get help from Eriol and Kaho and the various professors in Hogwarts.

Sakura was slightly concerned that her lugging her skates around to another country would be a lot of trouble for naught and that she was just wasting her time. However, she had just been thinking there was too much time and too little to do in the castle. This would certainly help alleviate that problem.

* * *

The flights might have been equally international, but Sakura's trip to Hong Kong involved far less fuss than her flights to the United Kingdom. Not only was she much more familiar with flying as compared to her first trip overseas, the flight itself was so short that she barely had time to get uncomfortable before they were disembarking from the plane.

As she looked around the Hong Kong airport, Sakura was struck by how different it was than Narita International Airport. It managed to be quite unlike the airport in the United Kingdom as well. It shared some features with both, but it still managed to maintain a distinctive and unmistakable personality all its own.

Unlike her first trip to the United Kingdom, Sakura didn't stop to gawk and experience these personality quirks in any substantial way. She hustled through the airport as quickly as was convenient. Syaoran's mother, Yelan Li, still intimidated her in many ways. This was in spite of Sakura's having been accepted by Yelan during the incident with Madoushi, and in spite of Sakura now having a more serious relationship with Syaoran. Maybe it was actually because of her relationship with Syaoran that she felt so intimidated by the woman. Regardless, she loathed to keep the woman waiting.

Sakura was able to find Yelan without issue. Yelan was accompanied by both Syaoran and Mei-Ling. The stern presence of the woman prevented any substantial outbursts of emotion and subdued the conversation among the children when they initially met in the airport as well as during the ride to the Li home.

It was only when the group had arrived at Syaoran's house, which still looked as opulent as ever in the crowded city, and the children had been left alone that Sakura feel like they could actually talk freely.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Sakura said to both Syaoran and Mei-Ling. She spoke in Japanese. She had never learned Cantonese. She wondered if she should at some point, given her growing relationship with Syaoran.

"It's nothing. It's only for a bit before we use that portkey of yours," Syaoran answered in Japanese, brushing off the thanks. "If anything, we should be thanking you for saving us the trip."

"'We?'" Keroberos asked.

"Yeah, we," Mei-Ling said proudly. "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"I thought you weren't going to be coming to Hogwarts. Something about being a squib," Sakura said. The English term bounced off her tongue with some degree of unfamiliarity.

"Like a little thing like that would stop me from going with you. You can only be left behind by someone as incredible as Syaoran so many times before it stops getting you down. I still want to try out that portkey and check out the United Kingdom," Mei-Ling said.

"Mei-Ling," Syaoran said, protesting the description.

"Either of ya used a portkey before?" Keroberos asked.

"No. My parents still don't trust them. If it had been anybody but Clow who made the portkey they'd have said we couldn't use it. The only reason they agreed is that we have a couple of other artifacts Clow made lying around, and they all work fine so they're willing to let us try it out," Syaoran said.

"But it was Eriol-kun who made it," Sakura said.

"He's still Clow reincarnated, right?" Syaoran justified.

Sakura didn't know how to answer that, so she didn't.

"Enough talking, when are we going?" Mei-Ling asked.

"Wait, where's everybody else? Aren't yer parents or yer sisters gonna see ya off or anything?" Keroberos asked.

"They're all too scared. They're willing to let us try to use the portkey, but they're worried something might go wrong and don't want to be anywhere near it," Syaoran said. He then pulled out the wooden model of Clow Manor that Sakura had last seen when Eriol had presented the portkey to her last winter. Syaoran asked, "So, are you going to explain how all this works then?"

"The way Eriol-kun explained it to me is that first we're all supposed to be touching it," Sakura said. She held the manor up in her hand.

"Like this?" Syaoran asked, pinching the corner of a roof. Mei-Ling grabbed a corner of a wall, and Keroberos clutched one of the tiny windows of the model.

"Right. Now is everybody holding everything they want to bring?" Sakura asked. She double-checked that she had the handle of her luggage clutched in her other hand.

"One second," Mei-Ling said. She ran across the room, grabbed a bag, and came back. "Ready."

"Ready," Syaoran agreed. "Now what?"

"Well, Eriol said to just say, 'to England bound...'" Sakura said, the last bit in English.

As the portkey activated, Sakura reflected on how that phrase sounded just as improbable and silly now as it had back when Eriol had first told it to the previous last winter.

* * *

Last Updated: September 3, 2015


	2. Sakura and Syaoran and Diagon Alley

Chapter 2: Sakura and Syaoran and Diagon Alley

If Sakura had to describe the sensation, it would have been like something had hooked onto the back of her naval and yanked her into herself. It was vaguely similar to traveling by train, if she had tied one end of a rope to a speeding locomotive and looped the other end around her waist. The next thing she knew, she felt as much as heard the rush of air and blood in her ears. By all rights it should have hurt, but she actually felt fine, ignoring some horrible disorientation.

The sunlight all around made for a decisive and dramatic indication that they were now far away from the florescent-lit night-sky of Hong Kong. A bright indication, too. Sakura had to squint her eyes immediately upon arrival. It took several seconds before she felt like she could get her bearings without blinding herself.

Once she was able to take a good, albeit still squinted, look around her, Sakura was able to place herself as being on a grassy plain in easy walking distance to Reed Manor. Her experiences wandering around the estate with Ruby stood her in good stead in recognizing the area, but much more helpful was the splendid building which stood in easy view.

"That was..." Syaoran started saying in Japanese before he was held at a loss for words. He finally concluded, "... weird."

Sakura and Mei-Ling both nodded in agreement with Syaoran's assessment of the trip they had just taken.

"I take it that's the building we're supposed to go to?" Mei-Ling asked, also in Japanese.

"Yes. That's Reed Manor," Sakura answered in the same language as she shuffled her things around to make them easier to carry. Once she was reasonably certain she wasn't about to drop something she started walking towards the building. The detail of the wooden model she still held in her hand was much more striking now that she had a chance to actually compare it to the real thing. She casually held the small model up, noting the intricate nuances the sculptor had captured.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go. I'm hungry," Keroberos said, pressing slightly ahead of the group.

"You're hungry. Why am I not surprised?" Syaoran jibed at the floating guardian beast.

"What'd ya say?" Keroberos challenged. He flew backwards so he could face Syaoran as he flew, but he continued to inexorably fly towards the manor and the food promised therein.

"Come'on. I want to see this famous Clow house," Mei-Ling said. She hurried forward as well.

Sakura and Syaoran made their way somewhat more slowly. Both of them were carrying substantially more things than Mei-Ling and Keroberos. As they approached, as if by magic, the front door opened. Sakura was almost ready to believe that Eriol and Kaho had added a new charm to the entrance to welcome visitors to the house. That impression was quickly dismissed as the tall figure of Kaho became visible in the doorway.

Kaho put her finger to her lip in a shushing motion and told the three in a low voice in English, "Go ahead and leave your things here. Eriol is currently helping someone. If you're quiet, you can go listen."

Curious as to what Kaho was talking about, Sakura left her suitcase and backpack at the entrance and followed behind Kaho. Syaoran and Mei-Ling followed suit, leaving their various belongings on the ground. Even Keroberos stayed silent as they followed Kaho up the stairs to the third floor of the manor and Eriol's laboratory.

"... but she asked a price which was too much for me to bear," Sakura heard a voice say as she drew near. The voice was speaking in English. She didn't recognize it.

"There is that," a voice Sakura did recognize as belonging to Eriol answered back, also in English. "It's refreshing to meet somebody who doesn't lose sight of what they have in pursuit of what they want."

They reached the door and Sakura was able to peek inside. Eriol was sitting on a chair behind a desk and was talking to what appeared to be a young woman of possibly Indian descent with long, wavy hair. The woman was scratching at the chin of something which appeared to be a large mouse on her shoulder. Upon further consideration, it looked a bit more like a small monkey than a mouse.

"Right. She couldn't help me directly, but she provided some advice for a much more reasonable fee. She suggested I seek you out," the woman said.

"I'm happy to help if I can, although I have my fee as well, of course," Eriol said. "You said you were looking for somebody, right?"

"Yes. A dear friend. Somebody who once held her hand out to me when I was too scared to accept it," the woman said.

"Lost friendship. That's always tricky," Eriol said, leaning back and tapping his fingers together thoughtfully. "How do you propose to pay for this?"

"Yuuko mentioned you might be interested in this," the woman said. She held out an object between her thumb and index finger. It caught the light and flashed brilliantly. Sakura recognized it as being a small, silvery ring.

"I most certainly am," Eriol confirmed. He stood up and walked over to a nearby shelf. "You know what that is, right? It's said that that ring gives the power to bring revolution to the world."

"I know," the woman answered. "It's true, but not in the way you might expect."

"That's not too unusual, especially for the more powerful magics. So let's see. What could I trade in return?" Eriol mused to himself.

"Chu-chu," the woman scolded. The creature who had been on her shoulder had managed to climb up to one of the shelves unnoticed. It had its hands in a bag. Beside it was a small pile of objects including a feather quill, a red amulet, and a toy drum which looked bigger than the bag itself did. The woman grabbed for the errant creature just as it pulled a piece of paper from the bag. Whatever was on the paper, it must have been significant. The woman gasped as she caught sight of it.

"That's her. What is this?" the woman asked, holding up the bag.

"That's quite a coincidence. But now that I think about it, it would be quite the story. Yes, that actually does work. Especially with that friend of yours," Eriol mused. "If you take that bag and follow where it leads, you'll find what you seek at it's ending. Are you sure you want to do this? I'm not constrained by the same restrictions as Yuuko, but I do feel obligated to point out that this isn't exactly a fair trade."

"Yes, I'm sure. This ring means nothing to me. Less than nothing. It's worth it," the woman said. She handed the ring to Eriol.

"Very well," Eriol said. He took the ring, and then picked up the feather, drum, and amulet. He handed the first two to the woman, who already had the bag, and handed the amulet to the strange creature the woman had called Chu-chu. "Then with that, our business is concluded. Good luck. You've picked a hard path to follow."

"Thank you," the woman said. "Some advice before I go; don't put the ring on. It's a heavy burden to bear, and once you do you'll never be able to remove it."

"I see. Thank you for the warning," Eriol said in return. He still held the ring up to his eye, inspecting it closely. "Ruby, can you show the lady out?"

"Right this way," Ruby said from the side of the room. Sakura hadn't even noticed her standing there, what with the transaction that had just taken place. She was in her decidedly human guise, wearing a fetching maid outfit.

As Ruby led the strange woman down the stairs, Sakura heard the woman ask Ruby, "Why do you hide your wings?"

"Eriol. You aren't going to do something foolish, are you?" Kaho asked Eriol from across the room. The seeming child was holding the ring in his right thumb and index finger, next to the ring finger of his left hand.

"Of course not," Eriol said, putting the ring down on the desk beside him. He then turned to the three children and Keroberos and said, "Ah... sorry I wasn't able to welcome you myself, but sometimes business interferes."

"Business? What kind of business was that?" Sakura asked, switching to English to match Eriol and Kaho.

"Clow used to do some trading on the side," Keroberos preempted, answering Sakura's question in English. "People would come to him and he'd help them out in return for magical items to study. It's how he got so much stuff to research, and how he could afford things like this manor."

"Nothing so serious. Just a bit of a hobby on the side," Eriol said.

"But it sounded like that woman was referred to you," Sakura said, ignoring his attempts at downplaying his activities.

"Yes, but Yuuko's something of a special case. It's not too important, though," Eriol said, bringing that particular line of inquiry to a close. "So how was your trip? It was your first time using a portkey, right?"

"It was weird," Syaoran answered, now speaking in slightly accented but very understandable English.

"It can feel like that the first time, especially when traveling long distances. You get used to it after a while," Kaho said in response.

"Wait. Syaoran-kun, you speak English?" Sakura asked in surprise.

"Obviously. You didn't think I'd come to school all the way out here if I didn't speak the language, did you?" Syaoran asked.

"I guess I never really thought about it. Where did you learn it?" Sakura asked.

"They made us all learn it in school," Mei-Ling said, in the same slightly accented but understandable English that Syaoran used.

"The government tries to push English in Hong Kong and the other colonies," Kaho explained.

"I see," Sakura said.

"Well, seeing how you've just arrived, what would you like to do first? An early lunch or a tour of the manor?" Eriol asked.

"Lunch!" Keroberos immediately called out.

Syaoran and Mei-Ling shared a glance, and then said in unison, "Tour."

This elicited a groan of complaint from Keroberos and a look of triumph from Syaoran and Mei-Ling.

"You've seen it all before so if you want to go eat first we can meet you downstairs, Keroberos," Eriol suggested.

"Great, see you all later," Keroberos said. He quickly flew away.

"You'd better not eat it all," Sakura called out after the rapidly disappearing figure.

"You can go too if you want, Sakura," Eriol added. "You've already seen everything we're going to show these two."

"No. I want to go with Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. She walk over to Syaoran's side and took his hand, causing both to smile.

"Okay. Well, there isn't too much up here besides my laboratory, so if you'll follow me," Eriol said. He led the others down the staircase to the floor below. "Over here we have the library where we keep most of the sorcery references, like Wilbert Slinkhard's 'Defensive Magical Theory,' and Merlin's 'Second Journal of Meta-Magic,'" Eriol explained, walking past one of the rooms and pointing towards it. "The third library is over there. It's where we keep most of the artificer magical references, like Owle Bullock's 'Secrets of the Darkest Art.' It's the largest library in the house so most of the other miscellaneous books end up there as well."

Something about Eriol's tour caught Sakura's attention. It took her a second before she could figure out what it was. Once she did, she suddenly interrupted in a worried tone, "Wait. That book. 'Secrets of the Darkest Art.' Is that one of those forbidden Dark Arts books?"

"Dark Arts?" Eriol asked, shaking his head slightly. He had stopped walking and turned to face Sakura, prompting the others in the group to do the same. "What makes them dark?"

"They're really bad," Sakura answered with confidence. They had discussed the Dark Arts a great deal in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She had heard Professor Quirrel talk at length about how dangerous books like Owle Bullock's tome were. "They cause a lot of pain and suffering, and only Dark Witches and Wizards use them."

"Sakura, any magic can cause pain and suffering," Eriol said.

Kaho stood to the side as the byplay proceeded between the two of them. Syaoran and Mei-Ling stayed silent as well, watching the interchange.

"But the Dark Arts are evil magic," Sakura said emphatically, as Professor Quirrel had said repeatedly and as the other professors like Professor Flitwick had mentioned from time to time.

"There isn't any such thing as good magic, evil magic, light magic, dark magic, or any other labels your teachers at Hogwarts might try to put on things. There are only good and bad uses of magic," Eriol said, a touch of disapproval in his voice. "You learned the Ventus charm, right? Did you know that that's considered a jinx, and thus is technically classified as Dark Magic by the Ministry of Magic?"

"But that makes no sense," Sakura said. The Ventus charm had been the first charm she had been taught in Professor Flitwick's class.

"You're right. It doesn't," Eriol agreed. "Magic is just a tool, like a saw or a hammer. You can use a Reductor curse to mine for iron, or you can use it to kill a person. The magic isn't good or evil; it's the person using it."

Sakura thought a bit more. It had all seemed so much more clear in class with a professor in the front of the room talking definitively on the nature and evil of the Dark Arts. She looked up in askance towards Kaho, who gave her a curious look in return but didn't disagree with anything Eriol said.

Finally Sakura acceded, saying, "I guess so."

"To cut off an entire field of magic from study just because somebody you don't know declared it as being evil for reasons you don't know is foolish in the extreme, even if only because you won't know how to deal with it if somebody ever decides to use it against you," Eriol said.

Sakura nodded to herself as she thought about what Eriol had said. It made sense, but what Professor Quirrel and the other professors at Hogwarts had said made sense too. She would need to think about it more.

After that, the rest of the tour around the building proceeded close enough to the tour Sakura had been given the previous year that her preoccupied mind didn't notice any differences. Kaho pointed out the three rooms the children would be staying in, Sakura taking the same room she had had the previous year. Eriol also gave an admonition to Syaoran and Mei-Ling to not go up to his laboratory, much like the admonition he had given to Sakura the previous year. They then proceeded to the ground floor, where Kaho and Eriol took turns showing them the arboretum, study, and the various other rooms there. One thing Sakura did notice was that Syaoran and Mei-Ling had a general look of reverence and awe on their faces throughout the tour.

The tour concluded with a brief look in the kitchen before ending up in the dining room. Inside, Keroberos and Spinel Sun were both in their fake forms, standing on the table arm-in-arm, and singing as boisterously as a pair of drunk salary-men in a karaoke bar. Beside them, the entrails of their conquest were laid plain to see for all. A few bags of snacks were torn open and crumbs were strewn all about. Despite the tiredness Sakura felt for the already long day she had had, and that the time-shifted daylight outside masked, the scene still brought a wry smile to her face.

At that point the five of them broke up to their separate ways: Sakura, Syaoran, and Mei-Ling to bring their things up to their respective rooms to unpack, and Eriol and Kaho to prepare a more substantive lunch.

* * *

Sakura, Mei-Ling, Eriol, and Kaho were loitering around Diagon Alley. Eriol hadn't wanted to go there, but the trip had been necessary for Syaoran to take his W.O.M.B.A.T. examination in an official setting.

Keroberos had stayed behind at Reed Manor to prevent any of the problems which might occur if a creature relatively unfamiliar to the Western world showed up in a busy place like Diagon Alley. Spinel Sun had also stayed behind for the same reason, as well as to keep an eye on Keroberos's exuberance. Ruby Moon stayed behind to make sure Spinel Sun didn't end up in any bad situations in the event that Keroberos managed to get Spinel Sun to eat some sweets.

The appropriate adjective to use to describe the alley was a matter of debate. Sakura found the look to be charmingly medieval and atmospheric.

"It's dirty and rundown," Eriol reiterated his earlier comment. "They need to pave the roads and put in some electrical lighting."

"I like the roads. It's like being in a real life movie," Mei-Ling said, agreeing with Sakura's earlier assertion herself.

"I'm not saying there isn't a place for it, but that place should be a theme park or a museum. Why do people put up with living in a place like this?" Eriol asked.

"It'd be kind of be fun to live here," Sakura reiterated. "Hogwarts Castle isn't too different, and it's pretty comfortable there."

"Maybe for some people, but not for me. I think if more of the people here..." Eriol started saying, but fell silent as the door in front of them opened and Syaoran emerged.

Sakura could tell with a glance that things had not gone well. Still hoping against hope, she asked, "How did it go?"

Syaoran hit his fist against the wall to his side, undoubtedly doing more damage to his hand than to the rock. He growled out, "That was dumb. What does the question of if some flying carpet should be referred to Wizengamot have to do with magic?"

"Wizengamot? What's that?" Sakura asked. "We never talked about that in school."

"See? That's what I mean," Syaoran said, on the verge of shouting but not actually crossing that line.

"I did try to warn you that the test was hard," Kaho said. "I know that even some of the professors at Hogwarts wouldn't pass a W.O.M.B.A.T. on their first try."

"Then why do they use that test?" Mei-Ling asked.

"It's tradition," Eriol scoffed.

"If it's that useless then can't you do something, like talk to the headmaster?" Syaoran asked Kaho.

"I might be able to, but it really is better for you to start in the first year anyway," Kaho said.

Syaoran bristled at this.

"No. Listen to me. I'm being serious. You're the most talented wizard in the Li family this generation, and you're probably in the top 10% of wizards in the whole world. I know that and you know that. But they do things differently here than you're used to," Kaho said.

Sakura nodded her head in silent agreement to Kaho's words. She had had a lot of trouble in many of her classes at first, and still had issues with some subjects.

Eriol added, "There are a lot of basic things you just don't know about Western magic, like how to identify plants and how use a wand. There will already be some stigma against you for being 'from the colonies.' There's no reason to make yourself more of a target by skipping a year, especially if you aren't ready for it and more."

Syaoran grumbled and eventually said, "But I wanted to be in the same class as Sakura-chan."

"We can still study together and see each other outside of class," Sakura reassured Syaoran. "And this way I can help you if you get stuck on any of your homework, too."

"Thanks," Syaoran said, somewhat mollified but still clearly upset.

"Well, so long as we're here we should probably go ahead and get the school supplies you two need. No sense in making an extra trip back home. In addition to Sakura's new books we'll need to get you some uniforms, a wand, and some books too, Syaoran. Actually, Sakura, you've grown a bit since last year if I'm not mistaken so we should probably get you some new uniforms as well, since we'll be going to Madam Malkin's anyway," Kaho said.

"There's also the question of Syaoran's familiar. Have you decided if you want to get one?" Eriol asked.

"I think so. I think I want to get a cat," Syaoran said.

"A cat?" Mei-Ling asked.

"It makes more sense than an owl or a toad for when I go back to Hong Kong," Syaoran explained.

"Wait, a wand?" Sakura asked, interrupting the flow of conversation. "Can't Eriol just make a wand for Syaoran-kun like he made one for me?"

"I could, but I don't have any appropriate supplies. We have plenty of wood, but no good cores," Eriol said. "Remember how I had Syaoran hold all of those things a few days ago? I was checking if any of them would be suitable for him, but none of them responded quite right."

"So that's what that was for," Mei-Ling said.

"Can't you just use another one of Kero-chan's feather's again?" Sakura asked.

"No. They'd never get along. There's too much of a character mismatch. The wand would probably spend all of its time zapping Syaoran. As funny as a constantly backfiring wand would be, it'd be almost useless to use and very dangerous at Hogwarts," Eriol said.

"Professor Mizuki?" a voice then called out as they were passing a tall building labeled as being Gringotts. The group stopped and looked around to locate the source of the voice.

"That is you Professor Mizuki. Thank you for your help over the summer," the voice then said as the familiar figure of Lisa emerged from the crowd. She still kept her long blonde hair loose so it fell in curls around her head, and her growth over the year meant she still managed to edge out Sakura in height despite Sakura's own growth. "Why, you are here too, Sakura. Good afternoon."

"Lisa? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked.

"The same thing you are, I suspect. I am shopping for school supplies," Lisa said.

"On your own? Where are your parents?" Kaho asked tensely.

"Father is just over there, working in Gringotts," Lisa said, pointing to the large building she had approached from, "and Diagon Alley is a safe enough place. Besides, if I get into any trouble, I always have this."

Lisa held out her wrist, around which was a small clear bracelet. Sakura didn't recognize it, but Kaho gave a nod in acknowledgment and relaxed a bit.

"You're right. We're here shopping too, although we haven't managed to get anything yet," Sakura said.

"I just got started myself as well. If you would care to join me I would enjoy the company," Lisa said.

"Sure. We're about to go get a wand for Syaoran-kun," Sakura said.

"That sounds lovely. I always rather enjoy looking around Ollivanders. However, who is Syaorankun?" Lisa asked.

"That's right. I forgot to introduce you. This is Syaoran, Mei-Ling, and Eriol. They're some friends of mine from back home. This is Lisa, she's a friend of mine from Hogwarts," Sakura said, introducing them respectively.

"Nice to meet you" and "it's a pleasure to meet you" chorused as the introduced parties greeted each other.

"Wait a second. You are that boy Sakura told us all about last year, are you not? So you heard how good a school Hogwarts is and decided to join your cute girlfriend here?" Lisa teased. Meanwhile Kaho once again started leading the now slightly expanded group onward.

Syaoran blushed a bit, and then said in a self-conscious way, "Kind of."

Sakura blushed a bit as well at Lisa's description of the situation.

"That is so romantic! I want a boyfriend, especially one who will cross the world to be with me," Lisa said. Sakura could practically see cartoon hearts floating around Lisa's head.

"I thought you and Wayne were together," Sakura said, confused.

"What? Me and Wayne? No, no, no. It is nothing like that," Lisa said, possibly a touch too quickly while shaking her head. "He is just a friend."

Sakura didn't pursue the subject, nor ask why a touch of pink had started showing on Lisa's cheeks either. Instead she pointed to a sign ahead and asked, "Is that Ollivanders?"

"Yes, it is. Best wand shop in the entire city," Lisa confirmed.

Kaho held the door open while Eriol, Sakura, Syaoran, and the other children entered. Immediately the shopkeeper greeted the group with a soft but enthusiastic voice. He said, "Ah... Miss Turpin. Back so soon? It's a pleasure to see you again. I'm lucky your parents are so generous."

"Not today, Mr. Ollivander. We are simply here so Syaoran can purchase a wand," Lisa said, although she had already started eying the boxes which lined the room. The look and layout of the store gave the impression that it was a dusty, old, esoteric library.

"I see. Well, Miss Syaoran, which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked Sakura.

"Hoe? No, I'm Sakura and I already have a wand. This is Syaoran," Sakura said. She pulled Syaoran's hand forward while simultaneously stepping back herself. This resulted in Syaoran being between her and Mr. Ollivander.

"Ah, I do beg your pardon, young sir. So Mr. Syaoran, which is your wand arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"I cast most of my magic with my right hand, if that's what you're asking," Syaoran answered.

"Very good. Now can you please hold out that arm?" Mr. Ollivander asked. He pulled out a tape measure.

Syaoran held out his arm while Mr. Ollivander used the tape measure to measure the full length of it from shoulder to finger. The man then walked away. Syaoran was compelled to continue to hold his arm out. Despite the fact the tape measure was no longer being held, it continued to measure different parts of Syaoran's arm and hand. It then moved over to his body, and eventually to his head.

"That will do," Mr. Ollivander snapped out, interrupting the tape measure as it was measuring the length of Syaoran's nose. It collapsed to the ground like a non-magical version of itself. "Why don't you have a try with this, a nice maple with dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Perfect for dueling."

Mr. Ollivander held the wand out to Syaoran, who picked it up and held it like a short sword in front of him. This prompted Mr. Ollivander to say, "Don't just stand there. Give it a wave."

Syaoran waved the wand. Nothing appeared to happened.

"No. That's no good at all," Mr. Ollivander said, pulling the wand out of Syaoran's hand. He then stuffed another wand into Syaoran's grip with his other hand, saying, "Maybe an ash and veela hair instead?"

Syaoran waved it with a similar apparent lack of effect.

"Thought not. Try this. Birch and acromantula fang," Mr. Ollivander said.

The process continued for a prolonged period of time without any visible effect. The repetition and lack of visible progress was tiring, but only for Syaoran and the spectators. As they continued, Mr. Ollivander only seemed to grow more and more energetic.

By the time Mr. Ollivander handed Syaoran the eleven-inch oak wand with a dragon scale core, it was obvious to Sakura that Syaoran was thoroughly worn out from the process. Sakura couldn't fault him. She was worn out just from just having watched him. Overall, she thought Eriol's way of dealing with wands made a lot more sense. Even so, Syaoran humored the shopkeeper by swinging the latest wand which had been forcefully thrust into his hand with a lazy and half-hearted swish. This caused a stream of red and gold sparks to erupt from the wand like a firework. It managed to visibly startle Syaoran.

"Excellent. It looks like we've located you your wand," Mr. Ollivander said. "So, that's one wand then, unless you've changed your mind, Miss Turpin?"

"No, no, I am quite alright," Lisa said in response despite carrying three boxes in her arms. She pulled open her purse, and then closed it a few seconds later with a frown and started putting the boxes back onto the shelves.

"Very good. That will be seven Galleons for one wand then," Mr. Ollivander said. He collected the golden coins from Kaho.

"Before you go, do you mind if I have a look at your wand, Miss Sakura? Only I like to see what the other wand makers are up to. Call it a professional curiosity, if you will," Mr. Ollivander asked.

Sakura looked to Eriol for guidance, who shrugged and nodded back. She then pulled out her wand and handed it over to Mr. Ollivander, saying, "Sure."

Mr. Ollivander carefully took Sakura's wand and twisted it back and forth while looking deeply at it. He then held it between his two hands and lightly bent it. His face scrunched up with a puzzled look, and then he bent her wand further with more force.

"I've never seen a wand like this before. What is it? Mahogany?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"Teak," Eriol corrected him.

"Teak?" Mr. Ollivander repeated back. "No wonder it's so long. Interesting twist in the core here and here. And here too. Phoenix feather core?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

"Something like that," Sakura said. She didn't know much about phoenixes but understood them to be flying fiery birds, which sounded similar enough to Keroberos minus the bird part.

"I thought so. So the magic goes from here to here... and... hmm..." Mr. Ollivander mused to himself. He gave the wand a quick flick towards a bare wall and then handed it back to Sakura.

"Quite the unconventional wand you have there. I'd love to have a talk with its creator and hear what he or she was thinking. It's efficient, to be sure, but most opinionated. You said you can use it?" Mr. Ollivander asked.

Opinionated. That was one way to describe Keroberos. Sakura had to suppress a slight laugh as she held her wand in her hand at the ready and offered, "Yes. Do you want a demonstration?"

"No, that's quite all right. I believe you, and I'd never suggest you violate the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery. All I can say is that you must be quite the remarkable young witch," Mr. Ollivander said. He then turned to Mei-Ling and asked, "What about you, young miss? Do you mind if I have a look at your wand as well? It's just your companion's was so interesting."

"I don't have a wand. I'm a squib," Mei-Ling said in a tone which could have been a boast. Both Mr. Ollivander and Lisa gasped at this declaration.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed," Mr. Ollivander said.

"I am so sorry to hear that," Lisa agreed. "Do not worry, nobody thinks any less of you for it. Some of the best families have squibs from time to time."

"They're always doing research and they'll find a cure for it eventually," Mr. Ollivander added.

"Don't talk like it's some kind of disease," Mei-Ling angrily retorted. "I can still beat you in a fight, with or without a wand."

Mr. Ollivander coughed, and then after a momentary pause said, "Right. Well if our business here is finished then I will bid you a good day."

He gave a stiff bow to the group as they left the shop. On the way out, Lisa checked the content of her purse one last time before finally leaving with a frown.

"It probably makes the most sense to get your books next. Flourish and Blotts is just over there," Kaho said.

The group proceeded to the bookstore. Syaoran handed his wand over to Mei-Ling as they walked. Mei-Ling spent the time examining his wand and playfully waving it around in manner similar to how Syaoran had waved it in the store earlier. It reminded Sakura of what Tomoyo had done with her own wand before she had started practicing charms in earnest in Japan.

Kaho slowed down and the rest of the group slowed down to match as the bookstore came into sight. There was something of a crowd gathered in front of the building.

"Maybe we should go visit Madam Malkin's for your uniforms first. It's a bit further, but I think we should try to avoid whatever is going on in there," Kaho suggested.

Several people were hurrying out of the store as she spoke. Almost as if to confirm Kaho's suggestion, a man with stark red hair emerged from the building. His natural look of joviality was ruined by how he was nursing a bleeding lip. A stern looking woman with equally vivid hair followed just behind, shouting at him. Two other adults without such prominent features followed just behind them both. 

"That sounds like it's probably a good idea," Sakura agreed.

"We can come back later. Madam Malkin's is over this way," Kaho said. She led everybody in a wide arc around the store and whatever was going on inside it.

Sakura followed closely behind, being sure to give the store a wide berth just like Kaho had. As she walked she felt a hauntingly familiar sensation. It took her several seconds to place it as being similar to what she had felt the few times she had met Harry Potter. Turning her head towards the bookstore and the feeling, though, she was unable to spot anybody who looked like the boy in question. Instead her eyes were drawn to what appeared to be a clump of red-haired boys clustered around a red-haired girl. The girl was staggering under an enormous stack of books.

Then, in a blink, they were out of sight. It took Sakura a second to realize that she had actually recognized some of the boys in that clump. It took two more seconds before she realized who they were.

"Wasn't that Fred and George Weasley back there? I hope they aren't in any trouble," Sakura said. She turned around to take another look to verify their presence, but couldn't re-spot them anywhere.

"What, back there?" Lisa asked, craning her neck to try to get a better angle at the vanishing store. "I do not see them anywhere."

"It wouldn't surprise me in the least. Fred and George are always causing trouble. If it was them I wouldn't worry too much about it, Sakura. Those two always manage to avoid any serious consequences," Kaho said. She also turned her head around for a quick peek backwards before returning her gaze forward and leading the group away from the scene towards Madam Malkin's.

They didn't make it that far. Along the way, while passing a store labeled Eeylops Owl Emporium, Syaoran brought everybody up short, announcing, "There. That's the familiar for me."

Sakura looked at where Syaoran was pointing, towards a small dark gray owl sitting on a stand outside the store.

"What? You want to get that owl?" Mei-Ling asked.

"Yes. It's perfect," Syaoran confirmed.

"I thought you said that you wanted to get a cat," Sakura said.

"I changed my mind. I want that owl," Syaoran repeated.

"Are you sure? If you want an owl, there are a lot more of them inside the store," Eriol suggested.

"Yes, I'm sure," Syaoran said.

Nevertheless Syaoran allowed himself to be persuaded to go into the store to see several of the other owls within it. They passed row upon row of owls covering all the different sizes and colors Sakura had heard of, plus a couple she hadn't heard of before. However Syaoran failed to have a reaction with any of them.

After several minutes of halfhearted searching, Syaoran was the proud owner of a new owl. It was the same small gray owl he had pointed at to begin with.

They then continued on their way towards Madam Malkin's. Syaoran had a big grin on his face as he walked onward, carrying his new owl in her cage.

Service at Madam Malkin's was very different than the time Sakura had gotten her robes in preparation for her first year at school. Unlike that costume shop with its racks upon racks of clothing, Madam Malkin's was a smallish store.

Madam Malkin had each of the students stand up on a footstool in turn as she or her assistant placed a generic length robe on the child, pinned the robe to the correct length, and then adjusted the size appropriately. The personal touch of the service was much more friendly than the department store nature of the costume shop the previous year, and unlike the wand shopping earlier, the process didn't seem to take an eternity. 

With the uniforms purchased, the final stop was the return trip to the bookstore to purchase the various books needed for the coming school year. Whoever the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, it was a reasonable assumption that he or she was a big fan of Gilderoy Lockhart. Almost all of the new books Sakura needed to buy had been written by him.

That very same author was signing books at Flourish and Blotts as well. Outside of the store, the large crowd from earlier in the afternoon had mostly dispersed. This revealed a sign declaring that Gilderoy Lockhart would be in the store and signing copies of his latest book. The sign had gone unnoticed during the commotion the last time Sakura had passed by.

Inside the building there was a small group of reporters comparing notes with each other. There was also a small crowd, standing more or less in a line. Most of the crowd was comprised of witches of all ages. Beside them, the shopkeeper was doing his best to move traffic through as quickly as possible. At the front of the crowd was a dashing figure of a wizard wearing a powered-blue robe and matching wizard hat angled in a particularly debonair way over his wavy hair.

The shopkeeper's attempts to keep traffic flowing were partially impeded by the inclination for all of the witches to dawdle as they approached the front of the line, and then to outright stall when talking to the wizard. However the was only partially impeded, as all of the witches behind the lucky person in front did their best to assist the shopkeeper in moving the group forward so they might have a chance to bask in the wizard's megawatt-bright smile.

"That is him. That is Gilderoy Lockhart himself. I simply must have a chance to speak with him and have him to sign a book for me," Lisa proclaimed, promptly getting into line herself.

"So he's famous then, this Gilderoy fellow?" Syaoran asked, getting in line himself as well.

"You do not know who Gilderoy is?" Lisa asked. "I thought everybody knew who he was. He has a Third Class Order of Merlin, and is a five-time winner of Witches Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award."

"Witches Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award? That makes him important? What next? Firmest handshake? Best brushed hair?" Mei-Ling asked. Despite her words she had also gotten in line with Lisa, Sakura, and all the others.

"Hush you. You do not know how lucky you are. Gilderoy is one of the biggest names in the wizarding world. There are countless people who want more than anything to be able to meet him," Lisa said. She was craning her neck to see how many people were in front of her. The line seemed relatively short, and the shopkeeper was still doing his best to keep the traffic flowing so it moved rather quickly as well.

"Let me guess, they're all women?" Syaoran asked, pointing to the cluster of witches both in front of and behind their small group.

"There are many wizards who would adore meeting him as well. I suspect that the scene earlier might have been due to too many people trying to fight for his attention. The store manager is being quite strict with the queue now, as you can see," Lisa said.

"What makes him so great then?" Sakura asked.

Eriol answered, "According to his own books he's done a number of fantastic things, many of which weren't even known to be possible before he did so and have not since been repeated. For example, he claims to have cured a werewolf of his lycanthropy using a Homorphus charm. It is unfortunate that nobody has been able to get Mr. Lockhart to explain what that is. The search for a cure for lycanthropy has been a major field of research for quite some time and nobody has been able to reproduce the effect he self-reported, or has any knowledge of this Homorphus charm."

"See? Exactly that. He is quite amazing. There is also the time he fought all those ghouls in 'Gadding with Ghouls.' I still get shivers every time I read how he managed to use a tea-strainer to entrap that ghoul while he fought against being overcome by the venom coursing through his body," Lisa said.

"If he's so great then why didn't he save those people in here earlier from whatever happened to them?" Mei-Ling asked.

"I did what I could, young witch, but there's only so much I can do in a crowded place like this. I could hardly hurt them just for being my adoring fans," Gilderoy answered Mei-Ling's question. While they had been talking, Sakura and the others had somehow gotten to the front of the line. Gilderoy continued, "If I had known how envious my other fans would have been then I would never have agreed to give Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived as I'm sure you know, and one of my greatest admirers, a complete signed collection of all my books. By the time I had realized my mistake, it was too late and another fan had started a fight over it. In the end, all I could do was to help usher the group out before they disturbed the other patrons of this establishment."

The shop keeper gave a snarl at this but did not otherwise comment.

"Unfortunately I must ask you to be brief. As you can tell the clerk here has no patience. I always enjoy speaking with my fans, but you understand, don't you?" Gilderoy asked.

"Of course. Can you sign one for me, please? Make it out to your biggest fan, Lisa Turpin," Lisa asked.

"Right," Gilderoy said. He pulled one of the large books off the stack next to him and, flourishing a gigantic ornate peacock feather, signed the inside of it with practiced speed.

Once Sakura saw his signature was complete, Sakura ventured asking, "Excuse me, but I have a question. Why are so many of your books on the Hogwarts textbook list this year?"

"So you're all Hogwarts students? How lucky for you. I just announced earlier today that I'll in fact be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts there starting this year, so you'll have the chance to get to know me in much more detail," Gilderoy said.

Lisa's hands flew to her mouth and she gasped loudly.

Gilderoy either didn't notice or was accustomed to the reaction, as he continued without pause, "As your new teacher it is my honor, no my sacred responsibility to educate you to the highest level possible. My books are clearly the best in the market, and it is my duty to ensure you only use the highest quality learning materials possible."

Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Eriol and Kaho exchange a glance. She couldn't understand what wordless message had passed between the two of them.

"You are going to be our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year? Really?" Lisa asked. Her voice had substantially increased in pitch and it sounded like it was being squeezed out. "That is marvelous."

"It is?" Syaoran asked, skeptically.

"Yes, it is. Gilderoy, I mean Professor Lockhart is an honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League and has a great deal of experience facing the Dark Arts. Professor Quirrel from last year was a qualified teacher, but it will be wonderful to have somebody with so much practical experience teaching us how things really work," Lisa said.

Gilderoy seemed to bask in Lisa's words, subtlety moving his head this way and that way as if to try to find the most striking pose while his award-winning smile beamed visible from across the entire room.

"So he has a lot of experience?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. He has been to Tibet as a special adviser to help them with an ill yeti, and once he mediated a dispute between two communities of hags which threatened to spill over into a nearby village," Lisa explained.

"Let's not forget the banshee, and werewolf, and troll, but you are right, Laura. To tell you the truth, I would be more than happy to stay all day and chat with you, but these people here have only until half-five and I'm sure all of them are waiting for me to sign their books," Gilderoy said, casually motioning for them to move out of the way.

During their conversation, the line of women and occasional man behind the group had become visibly impatient. The number of people waiting to speak with Gilderoy had grown slightly as well. Sakura and the others allowed themselves to be dismissed and started walking off to buy the rest of the school books for the year.

"Didn't you say your name was Lisa?" Mei-Ling asked, looking over Lisa's shoulder as she stared at the copy of "Magical Me" Lisa had received. "He signed your book wrong."

"He did?" Syaoran asked, looking over Lisa's other shoulder. He read out loud, "To my most admiring fan, Linda Terrapin."

"That's terrible. Let's get him to fix it," Sakura suggested. She turned back to Gilderoy.

"Sorry, but there are others waiting for their turn. I appreciate that you want to spend all day talking to me, but it's only fair to everybody else. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to wait until September when classes start to fawn over me," Gilderoy said.

"What a pretentious git," Syaoran said as Sakura turned back, defeated.

"Thank you, Sakura, but I do not mind. Everybody will be so jealous of my signed book. I am so happy I got to meet Professor Lockhart and that he shall be teaching us this year," Lisa said.

Sakura had no idea what a "pretentious git" was but she found she was more in agreement with Syaoran than Lisa in regard to their new professor.

The rest of the book purchases proceeded without incident, ignoring the fact that Sakura and Lisa struggled under the eight books they had to purchase. Syaoran couldn't move at all with the more than dozen books on his purchase list. At first he had tried to juggle them in his arms before he gave up and let Mei-Ling give him a hand with carrying half of them.

Lisa looked tempted to get back into line and have Gilderoy sign all of her new purchases, but the long and steadily growing number of people waiting ended up dissuading her.

With their shopping completed, Lisa peeled off and headed into Gringotts as they passed by the building. As she did so she bid everybody a fond farewell and expressing her looking forward to seeing them again in the coming school year.

* * *

Last Updated: June 8, 2014


	3. Sakura and the Very Odd Girl

Chapter 3: Sakura and the Very Odd Girl

"We're leaving in half an hour. If you want some breakfast, you'd better get up soon," Eriol prompted Sakura from the door.

"What? Breakfast?" Sakura asked. The words bounced around her head until they finally hit something which registered. "Okay, I'll be right down."

"I still need to wake up Syaoran and Mei-Ling. I'll meet you down there," Eriol said. He left and closed the door behind him.

Despite being coherent enough to sit up in bed and to have an extremely abbreviated conversation with Eriol, Sakura still wasn't fully awake by several definitions of the word. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she had to will them open repeatedly as they kept trying to close on her. The assault of light against her eyes stood in stark contrast with the pre-dawn darkness outside of the windows. The large rectangles of near-blackness gave an ominous feeling of unfamiliarity to her sleepy gaze. It was much more familiar to see the greens of the fields and forests as well as a bright blue or gray sky through the windows.

Sakura climbed out of bed, glad that she had had the foresight to pack everything the night before. True, it had been at the reminder of Kaho, but she had done it and it made for one less thing to worry about in her morning rush. All she had to do was change out of her pajamas, drop them into her suitcase, close it tight, and she would be all packed for the upcoming train trip.

She idly wondered if she could get a few more hours of sleep on the train. Given how excited she had been on the trip the previous year, and how partway through the journey she was sure that Gloria, Lisa, Anthony, and maybe some other friends would show up, she doubted she would be able to. Then again, by the time she got to the train she was sure she would be completely awake and not interested in sleeping anymore anyway.

Sakura yawned.

At least she thought she wouldn't be tired anymore by then.

Following her plan, Sakura changed her clothes, dropped her pajamas into her suitcase, closed it tight, and made her way out the door. Outside of her room she ran into an equally bleary-eyed Syaoran and Mei-Ling.

"Why do we have to get up so early anyway?" Mei-Ling grumbled out loud.

"We got to get to the train station to catch the Hogwarts Express, and it leaves early," Keroberos answered. They had gone over this the previous day.

"You could have slept-in, you know," Syaoran added.

"And miss saying goodbye to you?" Mei-Ling mumbled, clearly questioning the decision she had made the previous day.

"We're leaving in 20 minutes. You'd better hurry if you want to get something to eat," Kaho's voice prompted them from the bottom of the stairs.

"Let's go," Sakura said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, which was to say not very much. However, it was more than both Syaoran and Mei-Ling. She was in the lead as the three children and Keroberos proceeded down the stairs to the dining room.

* * *

It might have been the early hour of the morning. It might have been the gorgeous scenery all around them. It was probably some combination of the two. Regardless of the reason, though, the car ride was mostly a silent affair as they drove through the last vestiges of night and into the day.

Despite having seen it all the previous year, and despite having actually frolicked through the fields occasionally during her stay at Reed Manor, the sight was still bedazzling to travel through. The sunrise took her breath away as it appeared on the horizon, revealing once again the picturesque landscape all around them.

The group, packed in the car ever so slightly tighter together as compared to Sakura's first year due to the inclusion of Syaoran and Mei-Ling, made their way to the train station where they were scheduled to board the Hogwarts Express. The small bodies of the children ensured there was adequate space for all, although if they were to try the same thing in five years the results would have been much less comfortable for all parties involved.

The quiet train station was everything Sakura remembered it being. Only a few people milled around as they went about their business. The scene was practically identical to the previous year. Undoubtedly it had appeared the same the year before that, and the year before that as well. The sleepy town gave the impression that it hadn't changed for over a decade.

Kaho pulled the car to a stop in front of the train station.

"I guess this is goodbye again," Eriol said to Kaho as the others took turns pulling their luggage out from the car.

"So it is. I'd ask you to not do anything foolish while I'm gone if I thought you'd listen," Kaho said back to Eriol. She glanced meaningfully at his hand. Eriol gave one of his characteristic inscrutable looks in return. "Just promise me you'll come back safe."

"I promise," Eriol said, and then gave Kaho a long kiss.

"I love you too," Kaho said after returning the kiss.

On the other side of the car, a very different goodbye was occurring as Ruby clung to Sakura like the last life preserver on a sinking ship. In many ways it reflected the last time they had parted company.

"It was so good seeing you again," Ruby said.

"I'll see you again in a few months," Sakura said, returning the hug.

Syaoran might have been tempted to protest at the amount of affection Ruby was directing to Sakura. Instead he had his hands full as well. Mei-Ling clutched him just as fiercely, all the while saying, "I'm going to miss you so much."

"Knock it off," Syaoran protested, trying to squirm out of the grip of his cousin.

"But you'll be gone for so long," Mei-Ling said, redoubling her grip.

"It's not like we've never been apart before," Syaoran argued. He managed to get one of his arms free and used the additional leverage it provided to pull himself apart from the girl.

"It's different this time," Mei-Ling said. She then turned to Sakura and declared, "You'd better take good care of him."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked, confused for a second. She recovered quickly. "I will. Have a safe trip back to Hong Kong."

Almost like an island of frostiness standing stalwart in an ocean of emotion, the only ones not engaged in a heartfelt goodbye were Keroberos and Spinel. Keroberos displayed his usual enthusiasm in trying to say goodbye to Spinel, who just gave him the same cold shoulder as the previous year. This came as no surprise as, excepting having just eaten some snacks, Spinel was always this detached and seemingly emotionless. Of course force-feeding Spinel would probably have resulted in Keroberos receiving a much more friendly send off, and have made Eriol's subsequent drive home that much more difficult.

Their luggage in tow and their goodbyes said, Kaho led Sakura, Keroberos, and Syaoran into the train station as Eriol drove away. The only indication that this wasn't a perfectly ordinary muggle mother leading her two very non-magical children on a trip was the small dark gray owl Kaho carried for Syaoran in a bright gilded cage. That merely made them look like a slightly eccentric muggle family.

Five minutes later, all of them disappeared from sight after carelessly walking off the end of the train platform.

From there it was a quick walk through a dimly lit terminal to the Hogwarts Express. Once aboard they made their way to one of the cabins. Sakura made sure to pick a cabin a substantial distance from the engine and the train's exceptionally loud whistle. She had learned her lesson from the previous year.

Kaho helped the two children settle once they had reached a satisfactory room. She then took her leave just before the train started off on its all-day journey to Scotland.

* * *

Both the hours and the miles streaked by with barely any notice as Sakura conversed with Syaoran and Keroberos. The majority of the topics were either directly or indirectly related with Sakura's previous year at Hogwarts: what she had learned, what she had liked, what she had disliked, the various professors, the prominent students, and the adventures she had undertaken. All of that was fair game in the extended conversation they were having. Even when Sakura had tried to find out a bit more about the magic Syaoran had been learning back in Hong Kong, both what he was learning and how he was learning it, the conversation would somehow manage to meander back to Sakura telling Syaoran about the things he could expect in the Scottish school of magic they were rapidly approaching.

The loud whistle of the train as it started and stopped barely even registered to Sakura throughout the trip. This was partly due to the fact that the long distance of their cabin from the whistle somewhat muted its sound, but the whistle still managed to be piercing all the same. It was more a comment on how engaged she was in talking with Syaoran than it was on their strategic room selection that Sakura barely noticed the prominent whistle. Compared to that, the irregular staccato of their cabin door opening and closing as students vied for seats for the long trip to Hogwarts had no chance of registering to her consciousness at all.

Keroberos had decided to take this ride to Hogwarts from the safety of a passenger seat beside Sakura. It was far away from Siufui, the name Syaoran had bestowed upon his owl. Sakura had no idea what the name meant, but Mei-Ling had approved of it. Mei-Ling approved of everything Syaoran did.

The reason why Keroberos was avoiding Siufui was her recently developed habit. Much to Keroberos's distress, Sakura's consternation, and Syaoran's delight, Siufui had taken to pecking at Keroberos whenever she could. Whenever Keroberos got within beak range, she would start poking at him. The pecks from the small owl weren't strong enough to actually cause injury, but they were enough to be annoying and substantially painful. Every time Sakura noticed this she would complain to Syaoran, who would scold Siufui, who would stop. Stop until the next time Keroberos accidentally wandered into range again. Seeing how much Syaoran enjoyed seeing his sometimes-rival's discomfort, Sakura wasn't convinced that Syaoran wasn't somehow causing his owl to act this way. However, despite these suspicions, she could never get Syaoran to admit to doing anything, nor could she ever catch him doing anything inappropriate.

It did mean that in trying to avoid the suspiciously-specifically-aggressive owl, Keroberos was in a much better position to join in the talk about Hogwarts and its various mannerisms and activities. So when the question came up of how students spent their free time, which inevitably led to the strange sport of Quidditch which dominated at least half of the school, he was in a perfect position to defend its merits against Sakura's explanation of it.

"It's kind of silly. Whoever catches the Snitch at the end gets 150 points. It makes all of the other stuff which happened beforehand pointless," Sakura said.

Keroberos was quick to counter, "The points aren't the point. It's the challenge. It's the struggle. It's the face-off of man against man trying to see who's stronger and who's weaker. Winning is just an extra little bit at the end."

"See? Keroberos gets it, why don't you, Sakura? Oh, except that winning is really important too," a voice declared from the entrance of the cabin.

Sakura turned her head to the now open doorway and spotted Gloria standing there. Unlike Sakura, Gloria hadn't grown any taller over the summer, although her curves had become slightly more defined as compared to the last time Sakura had seen her. Even so, the blonde girl still dwarfed Sakura's height. She was carrying a newspaper under her arm, and behind her Sakura could see Gloria's suitcases and the gilded cage containing her owl.

"Oh, and you have company too. I don't think we've met. I'm Gloria, originally from Windsor's Preparatory Academy for Witches and now a second-year Gryffindor," Gloria said so smoothly that Sakura could easily believe that it had been rehearsed.

"I'm Syaoran Li. From... well... Hong Kong. This will be my first year here," Syaoran said, much less smoothly than Gloria's introduction had gone.

Syaoran stood up and held his hand out. Gloria had to juggle her suitcases and her newspaper a bit before she could free her hand enough to shake Syaoran's.

"Syaoran you say. Are you that famous boyfriend that Sakura kept telling us about?" Gloria asked.

"Gloria," Sakura protested, her cheeks turning pink with a blush.

"I guess so," Syaoran said, his cheeks also flushing at this comment.

"Right. Well great to finally meet you. It's always nice when somebody from the colonies decides to come visit and learn a bit about how things should really be done," Gloria said as she started putting her suitcases away.

"You don't say?" Syaoran said, flat voiced.

Gloria continued undaunted by Syaoran's statement, "It's got to be so rough out in the colonies. It's so far from civilization. I'm surprised more of you don't try to visit, although I expect that immigration makes that a bit tough. Still, lucky for you to get a chance to come to Hogwarts. Best school in the Empire, you know?"

Syaoran was turning a bit red in the face, and Sakura was pretty sure that it wasn't due to embarrassment this time. Trying to head off an outright outburst, Sakura interrupted by raising the one topic she was sure would catch Gloria's interest. She said, "So we were talking about Quidditch before. Why do they give so many points to the Seeker who catches the Snitch? It makes everything else in the game pointless, doesn't it?"

True to form, Gloria easily let herself be switched to talking about one of her favorite subjects. "Oh, 150 points isn't that many in the grand scheme of things. It only seems like that because of how good Harry is compared to everybody else. He makes the games at Hogwarts end fast. When the teams are better matched the games can go on for hours, sometimes even days, like the Quidditch World Cup of 1990. When the scores end up in the thousands, the Snitch is as often as not just a formality to finalize the win."

As she explained, Gloria continued to stow her luggage away. She finished by sliding her gilded cage on top of her suitcases. Nobody paid much attention as Siufui and the new arrival to the storage racks started hooting back and forth.

"That sounds like a bit of a crazy sport if you ask me. Who'd want to watch a game which could last for days? For that matter, who'd want to play in one?" Syaoran asked.

"I would. Too bad this year's Quidditch World Cup was only 3 hours 42 minutes long. Exciting enough to be there, but given the rain you'd think it'd have gone on longer," Gloria said, taking a seat beside Sakura. "Other than that, my summer's been pretty boring. How about you? What did you do over the holiday?"

Syaoran was the first to answer, saying, "Not very much. I spent most of it trying to arrange to come to Hogwarts to be with Sakura."

"You arranged it yourself?" Sakura asked. She had assumed that Syaoran's coming had been arranged by Kaho and Eriol, much like her own trip had been.

"Yeah. Professor Mizuki helped some with the school admissions, but getting the permits to come here and arranging payment and everything else I had to do all on my own. My mother thinks I should learn to rely on myself," Syaoran said.

"Wow. That sounds like a lot of work," Sakura said, impressed.

"I wouldn't even know how to get started," Gloria agreed.

"It wasn't that bad. Just a lot of paperwork and waiting around for the right people to get the right forms from the right people. Immigration, and school records, and everything," Syaoran explained. "At least setting up my account at Gringotts was easy."

"Was it? We'll have to tell Lisa later. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that," Sakura said.

"Lisa... Lisa..." Syaoran slowly repeated to himself. "That's that girl we met on that shopping trip, right?"

"That's right, kid. Her father works at Gringotts," Keroberos confirmed.

"You met up with Lisa and didn't invite me?" Gloria asked.

"Not exactly. We just kind of ran into her in Diagon Alley when we went shopping for school supplies. Actually, now that I think about it, where is Lisa? I thought she'd join Syaoran-kun and me. Have you seen her?" Sakura asked. She reflexively looked around in search of her friend as she asked this, as if she could see through the walls which surrounded her. As expected, she could only see the two solid walls and two windowed walls which comprised the cabin, and the windows merely gave the view of the corridor and the view of the outside scenery which she had already stared at for hours.

"I saw her a few cars down that way with Wayne," Gloria said, pointing towards the caboose of the train. "You know how those two are sometimes. I thought they'd prefer to be alone."

"Ah... young love," Keroberos said, hugging himself and floating in a circle in the air.

"Oh, what about you, Sakura? What did you end up doing over the holiday? Your letters didn't really say," Gloria asked.

Sakura had intentionally kept her letters vague and general. It was easy enough to talk about the mundane over the mail, but she didn't want to accidentally say something which would reveal her magical nature when communicating through an insecure mechanism. As a result, she hadn't talked at all about the practice and experiments which had made up a good portion of her break from school.

"Well besides what I've already told you I practiced a lot of magic, I guess. Some charms and..." Sakura started explaining before being interrupted.

"You did what?" Gloria interjected abruptly. She then leaned closer to Sakura and asked in a quiet voice, "What about the Trace?"

"What's the Trace?" Sakura, Keroberos, and Syaoran asked in chorus. None of them paid any attention to the semi-secretive way Gloria was talking.

Gloria ignored the fact that the others in the room ignored her quieter voice and continued to speak in a voice which was hard to make out over the clattering of the wheels below them. "Remember how they said not to use magic at the end of the term? It's actually illegal for children under the age of 17 to use magic. The Trace is how the Ministry of Magic enforces that. It detects when somebody too young uses magic and notifies the aurors and the ministry."

"That's dumb," Syaoran declared. "If you can't use magic then how are you supposed to practice and get better?"

"Don't ask me. That's what I keep telling my parents, but they never listen," Gloria protested, back in her normal voice.

"Well I don't know about this Trace or anything, but nobody said anything about my magic so far," Sakura said hesitantly.

"Really?" Gloria asked, speculatively. "I wonder if I can get my family to change our Winter Holiday plans. A trip to the wilderness would be a lot more exciting than visiting a place like Belgium again."

* * *

"Is it wrong for me to hate the summer?" Anthony asked the group at large. He sat next to Syaoran and across from Gloria.

Taken off-guard by the question, Sakura asked, "Hoe? Why do you hate the summer?"

"It's tourist season and it's always busy," Anthony complained.

"But if your inn is busy, isn't that a good thing?" Sakura asked.

"Probably, but it also means my brother runs me ragged," Anthony explained.

"Your brother? I thought your parents run your inn," Gloria asked.

"They do, but they give all these jobs to my brother, who then gives them all to me. They say they're training him to take over, but I think he just likes to make me do stuff," Anthony said.

"It sounds like he's a bit of a jerk," Syaoran remarked.

"Oh, he's just a brother. They're all jerks," Gloria remarked. Sakura nodded to Gloria's axiomatic wisdom.

"Hey. I'm a brother," Syaoran protested.

"You are?" Gloria asked. "Older or younger?"

"Youngest. I have four sisters," Syaoran said. He gave a sigh of exasperation.

"I see. Maybe it's just older brothers," Gloria said.

"And sisters," Syaoran added.

Sakura nodded knowingly. She hadn't met Syaoran's sisters for long, but her brief encounters with his strange siblings made her feel sympathy for Syaoran. They were enough to make her thankful to only have Toya for a brother.

"Well, maybe. At least it's all over for this year. Now I get to go to Hogwarts and he has to do all that stuff on his own," Anthony said, a big grin coming to his face.

"Nice. I'm envious," Gloria said. "Say, can you take my brother too? I'm sure he'd be a great help around the inn."

"Sure. Sounds like a good deal to me; but how are we going to get the Hogwarts Express to stop at my inn so we can kick your brother off?" Anthony asked in good humor. 

"Anything off the cart, dearies?" a voice asked from the door, interrupting the plotting of the second-year Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.

Sakura looked up to see an elderly dimpled woman with a trolley loaded up with a wide assortment of lollipops, cakes, bags, and boxes. It wasn't as wide an assortment as from the shop Sakura and Gloria had visited the previous year, but it still had a considerable selection. It had the additional advantage of being right in front of them and easy at hand.

However Sakura wasn't very hungry, and even if she had been she still had the lunch which Eriol and Kaho had prepared for her. She said, "No thank you. I'm not very hungry."

"Aww... Sakura, what about me? Can't you get something for me?" Keroberos asked from near the window, where he had placed himself after the addition of Anthony to the group. The woman startled slightly at the voice, but then hid her surprise in the face of the potential sale.

"Trust Keroberos to never turn down the opportunity for some snacks," Syaoran said from his corner of the room, shaking his head. Keroberos stuck his tongue out at Syaoran, but he didn't actually say anything at this most critical moment of the negotiation.

"How about it, love? Why not get a Liquorice Wand for the... uhh... creature," the elderly witch suggested.

Sakura thought about it for a moment or two, than capitulated. She said, "Okay, I'll get a Liquorice Wand."

While Keroberos cheered in the background, Sakura pulled out a small stack of silver Sickles and received the candy wand and some bronze Knuts in return. She put the Knuts away and handed the treat to Keroberos.

"I'll have a chocolate frog," Gloria said, handing over the required number of coins.

"Nothing for me, thanks," Anthony said, waving with his hand at the same time.

"How about you, love?" the lady then asked Syaoran.

Syaoran looked at the cart for a few seconds, then said, "Sure, I'll try something. What do you recommend?"

"Why not try a Pumpkin Pastie? They're really good this time, and only cost 8 Sickles and 15 Knuts," the lady assured him.

"Sure, I'll try one," Syaoran said, getting out a handful of coins. "Sickles are the silver ones, right?"

Anthony and Gloria rolled their eyes at each other, leaving Sakura to explain, "That's right. Sickles are the silver ones."

Syaoran managed to put together the right number of coins after that without any undue effort and received the wrapped pastie in return.

With the cabin now successfully sold to, the elderly witch bid them all a good day and moved to push the cart onward. Before she could get fully out of view, somebody else came from the direction of the engine of the train. The luggage the girl carried made it a bit of a squeeze for her to get past the trolley. The girl was far younger than the witch who had just sold them snacks. While her bushy brown hair was somewhat more managed than the last time Sakura had seen her, Sakura was still able to easily identify the figure of Hermione. 

"Hey there, Gloria. Have you seen Harry anywhere? Or Ron? I searched the whole train but couldn't find either of them," Hermione asked her fellow Gryffindor sitting next to the door.

"I haven't, but I've been here the whole time. Why don't you try asking the Percy? Or the twins? They'd know where Ron is," Gloria suggested.

"I did. I ran into Fred back there," Hermione said, gesturing towards the front of the train she had just come from. "He said Ron was probably playing some prank and not to worry about it."

"Ron?" Gloria asked. "He was never much for pranks."

"Yeah. That's what I thought. Well, I've got to get a seat before I have to carry this thing all the way to Hogwarts," Hermione said, slightly lifting up her luggage.

"Sounds like a good idea. I'd offer for you to join us, but as you can see we're a bit full," Gloria said, gesturing to the other three passengers in the cabin.

"That's okay. Say, if you see Harry or Ron, could you let them know I'm looking for them?" Hermione asked. "I'm going to try to get a seat near the back of the train."

"Sure thing," Gloria agreed. The young witch then continued on to the right of the cabin.

Keroberos and Syaoran were already halfway through their respective snacks.

"Oh, by the way, Syaoran, I forgot to ask you before. Can we see your book too?" Gloria asked before ripping open the boxed chocolate frog and proceeding to munch on it without giving it even the opportunity to try to escape.

"Book? What book?" Syaoran asked.

"Your book," Anthony followed up. "You know. The one you use to cast magic?"

"I guess so, but aren't they the same ones you had last year? Which one do you want? 'The Standard Book of Spells?'" Syaoran asked, getting up from his seat.

"No. I meant your magic book," Gloria said.

"Yeah. It can't be pink like Sakura's, right? I want to see what kind of book the boys get," Anthony said.

"What are you talking about?" Syaoran asked.

"I think they're talking about the book that holds the Sakura Cards," Sakura explained.

"I see," Syaoran said. He sat back down. "Well, in that case, I don't have a book like that."

"Sure you don't..." Anthony said skeptically.

"No, really, I don't," Syaoran said.

"Oh, really? I thought all you people had magic books. How do you cast your spells then?" Gloria asked.

"I just do it on my own. I usually use my sword, but whatever works," Syaoran said with a shrug.

"Your sword?" Anthony asked.

"Sword? Can you show us?" Gloria asked.

"I guess so," Syaoran said. He stood up again and pulled out the small orb which was his jian when it wasn't in use.

Without nearly the same amount ceremony that Sakura used when summoning the Key, which was understandable as Syaoran obviously didn't have somebody as interested in showmanship as Tomoyo was, he let the orb drop and hang by a string while his sword materialized in the air. The orb was suddenly dangling from the back of the sword's hilt. Once fully formed, he grabbed the weapon and held it fast.

"Oh. Right. Sword," Gloria said.

"So what can you do with it?" Anthony asked.

"Well, there's a lot of stuff, like..." Syaoran started saying before the door to the cabin opened again and caught all their attention.

The opened door revealed a small girl with blonde hair as straggly and unkempt as Hermione's had been bushy. She had an ethereal atmosphere about her and she gave the distinct impression of not quite being all there. She didn't even seem to notice, let alone be fazed by, the fact that Syaoran was now facing the door with a deadly weapon in hand.

Whatever else this girl might have been, she had some power to her. Not a lot of power, but Sakura felt from her a slight hint of the same fuzzy feeling that she got around Syaoran, Kaho, Dumbledore, and a few others. Compared to what was typical in the United Kingdom, even in Hogwarts, it stood out like a tall mast in the middle of the ocean.

Sakura took a quick glance at Syaoran, who nodded back in answer to her unvoiced question. He felt it too.

Syaoran put his sword away before he accidentally cut somebody and then retook his seat.

After several seconds of waiting for the girl to say, or indeed do, something, Gloria eventually asked pointedly, "Can we help you?"

This caused the girl to turn her head down and look at Gloria. She said in a voice as uncommitted as her face looked, "No. I was just looking for a seat and you're the most interesting group on the train. I'd know. I checked everywhere else already."

Gloria and Anthony exchanged a glance, quite different than the one Sakura and Syaoran had exchanged earlier. Anthony then said, "Well it's a bit tight in here already. We barely have room for everybody as it is."

"That's very generous, but you don't need to go. I can sit here," the girl said.

Despite not being a native to the United Kingdom, even Sakura had understood Anthony's comment as being a polite invitation for the girl to leave. However, following through on her words, the girl pulled in a suitcase, placed it on the floor in front of the door, and then sat directly on it with her back to the corridor behind her. That she blocked the entrance to the cabin didn't seem to matter to her at all.

Anthony caught the eye of Sakura and sent yet another meaningful glance her way. Both its question and assertion were loud and clear to her, although she had no answer to as to what the girl was doing here or how to get rid of the interloper.

Ignoring the silent messages being passed around the people in the cabin, the girl pulled a newspaper out from the back of her pants, opened it up, and started reading it. It was held at a low enough angle that Sakura could see the page the girl was looking at. It featured a picture of what appeared to be an empty street. Above the picture, the "FLOPPERGUMP INFESTATION GROWING" headline could easily be read.

It took Sakura a second to realize what was wrong. The reason she was able to read the newspaper so easily was that it was oriented towards her. That meant the girl blocking the entrance to the cabin was actually reading the newspaper upside down.

More questioning looks passed around the room before Keroberos finally said, "If you're going to sit with us, you should at least give us your name."

The girl looked up at the floating yellow plushie-like Keroberos. For the first time since her entrance, her gaze sharpened. She said in excitement, "Wow. A heliopath. Coming to Hogwarts. You all see that too, right? I'll have to tell dad. Do any of you want to be in the papers? It'll make the front page for sure."

"Hey. I'm not some, what'd you call it, heliopath. My name's Keroberos," Keroberos said.

"You aren't?" the girl asked, somewhat disappointed.

"No, he isn't. He's... well... he's kind of my familiar. My name's Sakura, and this is Syaoran, Gloria, and Anthony. You never told us your name?" Sakura prompted.

"No, I didn't," the girl answered.

"Right," Sakura said, confused. She was sure she had said that English phrase correctly.

"She's asking what your name is," Syaoran said with a touch of anger to his voice.

"She is? Then why didn't she ask?" the girl asked back.

"What is your name?" Gloria tried one last time, biting out each word one at a time.

"My name's Luna," the girl said, finally naming herself. "Luna Lovegood."

Gloria rolled her eyes, although she snapped them back to the front when Luna's gaze happened to wander her way.

Another awkward silence befell the room. None of the original inhabitants seemed inclined to talk to each other with the unwelcome guest and eavesdropper present, and Luna, either intentionally or not, made it difficult to talk to her.

Eventually Sakura tried to break the silence again, asking, "Why are you reading that newspaper upside down?"

"It's to prevent people from reading over my shoulder," Luna answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Is that a problem?" Anthony asked, looking a bit sheepish and directing his gaze pointedly away from the newspaper he had previously been staring at.

"Not when I read upside down," Luna answered him.

"But you do realize that we can read it when you hold it that way, right?" Syaoran asked. His angle in the cabin gave him as good a view of the newspaper as Sakura had of it.

"My dad's an editor of the Quibbler, so the more readers we get the better," Luna answered.

Before anybody could challenge her on the inherent contradiction of her reasoning, the familiar figure of one of the Weasley twins appeared from the direction of the caboose of the train. He caught sight of Gloria, and pushed open the door. Before he could say anything, though, Gloria pointed and exclaimed, "George!"

"Nope. I'm Fred. Better luck next time," Fred answered.

Luna had turned her head to look behind her at the new intruder but didn't otherwise adjust her seat. However she did put her newspaper away.

"Oh, shoot. I thought I had it this time," Gloria said.

"That's Fred Weasley," Sakura said, introducing Syaoran to half of the infamous Weasley pair.

"Fred Weasley..." Syaoran said, looking up in thought. "He's one of those twins you said was always causing trouble, right?"

Sakura's heart jumped and she looked away in nervous embarrassment. While it was true that she had told that to Syaoran, as well as to the others back in Japan when describing her myriad of experiences in Hogwarts, she hadn't expected him to actually repeat it out loud. And repeat it to Fred's face, no less. She started quickly thinking through anything else she might have told him that she would need to ask him to keep to himself.

"Trouble? Me? What's a horrible and pernicious thing to say," Fred said in mock indignation.

"But it's true," Gloria said, almost managing to suppress her snickering.

"Well of course it's true, but it's all just one big coincidence, let me assure you," Fred declared. "Care to buy anything before we get to Hogwarts? We have a special discount on Dungbombs today."

"Aren't Dungbombs banned from the school?" Sakura asked.

"That was last year. They haven't said that they're banned this year," Fred innocently suggested. "Yet."

"Never mind that they've been banned every year for as long as anybody can remember," Anthony said.

"Exactly," Fred agreed. "Want any?"

"No, I'm fine," Sakura said, certain that anything a Weasley twin was selling was something she didn't want.

"I'll pass too," Syaoran said.

Anthony shook his head as well.

"Come on. You Ravenclaws are no fun. How about you, Gloria? I'm sure you'll want something before we get to Hogwarts. It'll be a couple days before we get the shop all set up, after all," Fred said, holding out a box of Dungbombs temptingly.

"Well I suppose I could use some Backtalk..." Gloria started saying, but then interrupted herself by pointing and shouting, "George!"

Fred's twin brother had just come from the left. He said to Gloria, "Nope. I'm Fred. Better luck next time."

"Wait. You just said that you were Fred. That means that you must be George," Sakura defended Gloria's declaration, pointing at the two brothers in turn.

"That's right, I'm Fred," Fred said in response to Sakura.

"Nope, I'm Fred," Fred said in contradiction to Sakura's deduction and Fred's assertion.

"No, I'm quite sure I'm Fred," Fred said.

"No, we agreed, remember? I'm Fred today," Fred said.

"Yes, we agreed, but it was that I was Fred today," Fred said.

"But you got to be Fred yesterday," Fred complained.

"Fine. How about we compromise. You can be Fred, and I'll be Fred," Fred said.

"Deal," Fred said, shaking Fred's hand.

Sakura looked back and forth between the two twins. By the time they had reached an agreement, she was thoroughly confused. The other inhabitants of the room looked just as confused as she felt, with the sole exception of Luna. Then again, given how Luna had acted thus far, that really could have meant anything.

"Oh? So if you're both Fred then where's George?" Gloria challenged.

The two Freds looked at each other, turned back to Gloria, and then asked in perfect synchronization, "Who's George?" Even the tenor of confusion in their voices matched. 

"Okay, okay, whatever. Anyway, Fred," Gloria said, overemphasizing the name while shaking her head, "I'll take a pack of Backtalk Gum and some Whizzing Worms." She pulled out some coins and was immediately faced with both brothers holding out their hands to receive the payment.

There was a bit of confusion as Gloria tried to figure who should receive the coins and who was supposed to give her her purchases. She ended up giving her payment to the Fred on the right, and taking her purchases from the Fred on the left. Once everything had successful changed hands, Fred continued on his way towards the front of the train, whereas Fred turned and continued on his way towards the back of the train.

"Weird," Syaoran said.

The second-year students in the room shrugged in silent agreement. After a year in Hogwarts, everybody had become at least partially inured to the strangeness of the Weasley twins.

"So what's that you just bought?" Keroberos asked Gloria.

"Oh, this? Just some Backtalk Gum and some Whizzing Worms. Here, let me show you," Gloria said. She unwrapped the pack of gum, took a piece out, stuck it in her mouth, and started loudly chewing with her mouth open.

"See? It's just some gum," Gloria said. What was strange was that her voice was coming from beneath Luna. "Help, help, I'm stuck in here."

"What're you doing in there, Gloria?" Luna asked. She climbed to her feet and turned around to open the case she had been sitting on.

Looks of disbelief flew across the room. Sakura forced herself to state the obvious, telling Luna, "I don't think she's actually in there."

"No, I'm really not," Gloria admitted, this time doing a passable job of making her voice sound like it was coming from Syaoran's mouth rather than where she actually sat.

"That's a relief. I was in a hurry to pack last night and was worried I had accidentally packed Gloria by mistake," Luna admitted before regaining her seat.

"Neat trick," Keroberos said.

"But enough about this. You were going to show us some magic, weren't you, Syaoran?" Gloria asked. This time the sound came from behind Sakura's head.

"Right. I almost forgot," Syaoran said. He got back to his feet and re-readied his sword. He didn't move for a bit then said, "The problem is everything I can think of is too dangerous to cast in here."

"Oh. How about we go out to the corridor then?" Gloria suggested.

"There might be enough room, but it'd still be dangerous," Syaoran said.

"Come off it. If you are that scared of being shown for a fraud just say so. You're not fooling anybody. Like a first-year from the colonies could really do anything that dangerous," Anthony dismissed Syaoran's prevarications.

"What'd you say?" Syaoran asked hostilely.

"I said that I doubt anybody from the colonies really can do anything that special so don't worry about it. Just stop going on about it being too dangerous," Anthony reiterated.

Sakura sympathized with her boyfriend. Even she was starting to get a bit annoyed with the frequent mention of the colonies, and she wasn't even from there.

"Well, fine, I'll show you, but I'll need a target. Sakura, can you come and cast a shield? You three had better watch from in here," Syaoran said.

Sakura moved to do what Syaoran asked, but at the mentioning of shielding she got a really bad feeling. It was a bit tricky to get out of the room. Luna was still blocking the door with her makeshift seat. Eventually they manged to get her to move and got into the substantially more spacious hallway.

"I'm going to cast a lightning bolt. Can you shield everything?" Syaoran asked Sakura.

"I guess so," Sakura said, her feelings of trepidation getting worse. Still, after a quick check to make sure no strangers were watching, she subtly summoned the Key and pulled out The Shield. She subsequently used The Shield to protect everything in the hallway, including and especially herself and the other people. She then reminded him, "Make sure nobody else is in the hallway."

"I'll be careful. Okay, Anthony, are you watching?" Syaoran called out. After waiting for a second, he pulled out one of his ofuda, pushed against it with the flat of his jian, and shouted, "Raitei Shourai!"

Several streaks of electricity shot out from Syaoran towards the shielded Sakura. They bounced off of her shield with little effect, ricocheted off of the door to their cabin, and then blasted into the window directly across from the cabin. The window, which truth be told Sakura didn't especially care about, didn't take the hit very well. It blew outward with a large explosion.

Immediately a whistle from the front of the train gave a loud warning and the train came screeching to a halt.

Sakura and Syaoran looked at each other, and then both ran back into the cabin, slamming the door closed behind them.

Syaoran moved to take his seat. Sakura did the same until she noticed that Luna had already taken it while she had been out of the room. Even Luna's suitcase had disappeared, presumably shoved onto a storage rack above.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

Gloria saw what the problem was and scooted over on the bench, squeezing Luna a bit tight and making enough room for Sakura herself to sit on the bench in a snug fit.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Syaoran admitted, voicing what Sakura had been thinking the whole time.

"You mean blowing up the train? What made you think that it would be?" Anthony said, earning a scowl from Syaoran.

"Oh, relax. If we just act innocent then everything will be fine. It's not like anybody saw anything, right?" Gloria said. Sakura was forced to rely on Gloria's superior knowledge of how to handle the situation which she had earned through the numerous pranks and close calls she had had in the past.

As per Gloria's suggestion, when the first adult came to visit, Professor Lockhart as it turned out, nobody went out to check what he was doing. Instead they all sat in their seats, scrunched as it might be for the girls, and tried to act as innocent and confused as possible.

They couldn't hear anything through the door, but they did see Professor Lockhart pull out his wand and wave it a few times. He then looked up and behind him at some unheard activity, where upon Professor Sprout hustled by at a remarkably quick pace given her short stature and rotund nature. She started saying something to Professor Lockhart, who only shined his award-winning smile back at her. This seemed to do little to appease the woman as she continued by shouting something at the man.

Kaho showed up moments later, walking by quickly. She spared a look over to both Sakura and Syaoran. It was a rather pointed look. Sakura felt a pang of guilt at that. However Kaho didn't slow down or otherwise react to the children.

Once Kaho arrived and said something which the door muffled, Professor Sprout seemed to settle a bit while Professor Lockhart put his wand away.

Seconds later, a gristly man in overalls showed up as well. He made his way to the large hole, gruffly pushing Professor Lockhart to the side to do so, and carefully examined the window. He then pulled out his wand and waved it. A large piece of wood appeared and covered the hole.

With the hole temporarily covered, the gristly man trudged his way back towards the front of the train. Kaho and Professor Sprout followed immediately after him, leaving Professor Lockhart staring at the repair job for a few seconds. He then pulled out his wand, waved it twice at the patch, and then strutted away after the man and the two professors.

"See? Just like I told you," Gloria said happily once the train started moving again.

"This would make a good article for tomorrow's Quibbler," Luna mused out loud. It made Sakura dread what would happen when, not if, word of this got around the school and possibly out even further.

* * *

Last Updated: June 11, 2014


	4. Sakura and the Other Side of Sorting

Chapter 4: Sakura and the Other Side of Sorting

It had taken a majority of the train ride, but the conversation Sakura was having with her friends plus one unexpected-and-not-entirely-welcome addition eventually turned to the topic of the school houses.

Luna seemed to be the most ambivalent, saying, "I don't care."

"Don't care? How can you not care?" Anthony asked in a shocked tone of voice.

"Well it doesn't really matter," Luna stated.

"Yes it does. It affects lots of things, like who you go to classes with and who your head of house is," Sakura said. It was true that prior to going to Hogwarts she had held a position similar to Luna's, in her case more from ignorance than thinking it didn't matter, but she had learned over the previous year how much one's house affected things in both obvious and subtle ways.

"Not to mention the reputation you get in school and after you graduate," Gloria was quick to add from her chair in front of the door to the cabin. Subsequent to the explosion and the window repair, Gloria had gone out and retrieved a chair from somewhere and brought it into their cabin to sit on. It gave everybody a bit more sitting space, and possibly violated some health and safety regulation.

"Does it?" Luna asked. She spoke the same unconcerned tone that Sakura had come to associate with the odd girl. It gave the impression that Luna either hadn't understood something, or simply didn't care. By Luna's own declaration, it was probably the latter. "Then they must be careful to make sure we get selected for the right house, so I still don't care."

"I don't know about you, but I sure care. I'm going to go to Ravenclaw," Syaoran declared. His emphatic conviction made for a strong contrast to Luna's ambivalence.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Anthony asked.

"Sakura's in Ravenclaw, so obviously I should go to the same place she is," Syaoran said. He almost managed to not slightly stutter.

Sakura smiled at Syaoran, who smiled back at her.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way. I thought for sure I'd be sorted into Slytherin because of my brother, but I ended up in Gryffindor," Gloria said, causing reality to come crashing back down on Sakura. Right. There was the hat, and the sorting ceremony, and all of that. Sakura had completely forgotten that there was a very real chance that Syaoran wouldn't end up in the same house as her.

"Yeah. There's this big test. They got this lion, badger, snake, and raven, and you got to catch one of them with your bare hands. Whichever one you catch first they put you in that house," Anthony said. "You should go after the raven. It's the safest one to handle but you need to use your head in order to trap it, which is why we got the reputation for being the smart ones in Ravenclaw."

Luna nodded in understanding at the explanation of how the sorting worked.

"Come off it. I already know all about the sorting ceremony. We're just supposed to put on this dusty hat and it tells us where to go," Syaoran said.

"But don't forget what I told you about how it feels, too. It felt all icky and weird... like... like... something bad or something," Sakura quickly added. She didn't really have the words to describe how violated she had felt by the experience, let alone the words to describe it in English. "At least it's over fast."

"Icky?" Gloria and Anthony both asked in confusion. Both turned to look at Sakura.

Anthony quickly recovered, saying, "Right, icky. It's terrible. I can't even begin to describe how awful it felt. I felt like I was going to be sick right then and there. Can you imagine how embarrassing that'd be, to start classes by being sick in front of the whole school?"

Keroberos gave Anthony a knock on the head, interrupting his rant. He then accused him, "You're just making all that up. It's nothing like that."

"Like you know anything about the sorting. You weren't even there," Syaoran came to the defense of his fellow human, and not coincidentally picking a fight with Keroberos. It wasn't the first time Syaoran had done so on the train, not counting the times Keroberos had returned the favor and picked a fight with him.

It was the way that Keroberos and Syaoran preferred to interact with each other. Sakura didn't pretend to understand how those two boys treated each other, but they both seemed to enjoy their skirmishes over nothing in particular so Sakura just let them go at it. It wasn't like there was any particular malice in their voices, after all.

"I didn't have to be there. Can't you tell this kid is lying? First that capturing garbage and now this nonsense. It's written all over his face," Keroberos said.

"Yeah, right. What do you know about that?" Syaoran accused Keroberos with his normal facade of hostility.

"Oh, by the way," Gloria interrupted the timing the two before they could really get going, "I've been meaning to ask you. You do know that Keroberos transforms into this giant lion, right? Should you really be arguing with him that much?"

"I know," Syaoran said dismissively. "It doesn't matter. He's still a twit."

"And you're still a brat," Keroberos said his usual response.

"You mean that small thing? He can change into a lion?" Luna asked. Her voice had none of the trepidation of a believer or the cynicism of a disbeliever.

"I have a name you know," Keroberos protested.

"That's right. He can turn into this big, flying, fire-breathing lion," Gloria confirmed.

"I see. Wow," Luna said. Her non-committal tone of voice was bereft of the wonder normally expected for somebody suitably impressed.

Anthony, on the other hand, had a more typical mix of hope and fear in his voice as he asked, "You're kidding. Aren't you?"

Sakura, Syaoran, and Gloria all shook their heads.

"I see. Right then," Anthony said. A new tone of respect could be heard in his voice. Or maybe it was just plain fear.

Gloria quickly changed the subject, saying, "Even if you don't end up in Ravenclaw with Sakura, it's not the end of the world. I was a bit torn up about not getting into Slytherin, but it turned out to be for the best. I'd hate to be in the same class as that git, Draco, with his merry band of dunderheads; and I got to be in the same class as the famous Harry Potter."

Sakura didn't remember Gloria being especially torn up when the Sorting Hat had placed her in Gryffindor, but who was she to contradict her friend? Instead, she added, "And we can still spend time together, even if you don't end up in the same house as me."

"Just not in classes or after curfew," Anthony said. "Then again, even if you do get into Ravenclaw, you'd still be in a different year than Sakura. You'll have all different classes so no luck there either."

"But I can still help you study for your homework. I already took all of your classes last year," Sakura said, trying to find a silver lining to that particular cloud. It did little good. When the first announcement that they would soon be arriving at Hogwarts came shortly thereafter, Sakura was still under the depression that Anthony had caused with his reminder of basic facts that she had already known but didn't want to acknowledge.

* * *

Along with Gloria and Luna, Sakura changed into the school skirt and robe she would wear for the majority of her time in the United Kingdom. Syaoran and Anthony had stepped out to give them some privacy and to ensure sure no traffic went through the corridor. Keroberos had stepped out as well. Even if Sakura had long grown accustomed to his presence in her bedroom years ago, Gloria wasn't quite comfortable with him watching her change.

It felt just as strange as the last time she had changed in front of the large windows of the train cabin. Strange, but safe, as far as Sakura could tell. Nobody was in sight outside the windows in the countryside, and none of the boys in the hallway had peeped on any of the three girls as far as she could see from her frequent checks on them.

The girls then stepped out of the room and gave Syaoran and Anthony some privacy to change into their uniforms as well. No corridor traffic passed by then either.

Upon re-entering the room, Sakura thought that Syaoran cut a particularly dashing figure in his dark robes and pants. The only real difference between his uniform and Anthony's was the lack of the Ravenclaw house emblem and tie, but Sakura still thought that Syaoran just looked better.

The act of changing into school uniforms changed the entire atmosphere of the room. It was no longer just a simple, albeit long, train ride through the countryside with some friends. The uniforms had brought with them a much more somber tone. The room was now the antechamber in preparation for classes to start. Anxiety, tension, and restlessness permeated the air. The children were satisfied to spend the last few minutes of the journey staring out at the dark, star-filled sky in silence.

"We'll be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately," a voice echoed throughout the train, interrupting the almost meditative trance Sakura had fallen into as she stared out of the window.

"We're seriously supposed to leave our stuff here?" Syaoran asked.

"Yes. They brought them up to our dorm rooms last year after we were sorted," Sakura said.

"This time I'm going with you too," Keroberos asserted. He flew into a familiar pocket of Sakura's robe.

"Kero-chan. You're not even allowed to go to the Great Hall during meal times. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be there for the sorting ceremony," Sakura said.

"I don't care. I'm not hanging around here with Siufui all on my own," Keroberos answered. He pointed accusingly at Syaoran's owl. Almost on cue, the owl pecked loudly on one of the bars of her cage towards Keroberos.

"Relax. It's not like anything's ever happened when we brought Keroberos there before," Gloria said, taking her usual role of enabler of mischief.

"They'll be lots to eat there, too, and I'm hungry," Keroberos added.

"You're always hungry," Syaoran said.

Keroberos didn't dignify Syaoran's statement with a response, besides the raspberry he blew in the boy's direction.

"Okay. I guess it'll be fine," Sakura agreed. She didn't really mind that much. It just meant that she and Keroberos would need to be careful to not cause a scene. Given the feast that was typically put out during celebrations, it would take a fair bit of self-control on Keroberos's part, but she was sure that he would be up to the challenge.

Mostly sure he would be up for the challenge.

* * *

The train slowly drew to a stop in the same station it had stopped at in 1991, and most likely had stopped at for the past hundred years. Once again the platform started filling with the hustle and bustle of people trying to get their first breath of genuinely fresh air after spending hours in the stale confines of the Hogwarts Express.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," Syaoran said, urging the rest of the passengers to hurry up.

Maybe it was due to the crowded nature of having a fifth person in the room, but nobody seemed inclined to wait that extra bit for the corridors to clear. They instead forced their way into the crowd, pushing outward into the cool evening air.

"Oh, what a gorgeous night. I wish we could go on that boat ride again," Gloria remarked, half to herself and half to the group.

The waxing crescent moon provided little in the way of illumination, but it did create a great deal of atmosphere in the station. The still air made everything seem silent and surreal, surrounded as they were by the countless stars all around them. There were more stars than could be imagined from the perpetually-lit city of Tokyo. Sakura was sure it would be even more picturesque floating on the glassy water of the lake, surrounded by an ocean of reflected pinpricks of light. It was no wonder that the first-year students always took that scenic route towards the castle. It was a wonderful way to start an academic career.

Sakura took a quick look around to see if she could spot Lisa, but it proved to be a futile effort. There were just too many people to see more than the couple dozen children in her immediate vicinity. Even if she had been able to see through the mass of humanity surrounding her, the chances of spotting her friend in the throng of students surrounding the platform was slim.

"Firs' years! Firs' years! Over here! Firs' years!" Hagrid's burly voice called out. It cut through the deadened air and completely changing the tenor of the atmosphere. He was easy to spot in the crowd; both his height as well as the lantern he carried high above ensured he was unmissable.

"I guess that's us then," Syaoran said.

"See you when you get there, Syaoran-kun," Sakura said.

As Sakura's eyes tracked her boyfriend's departure with Luna, she had to fight down the briefest touch of envy for the odd girl who had entered her cabin earlier in the day. Luna got to go to the school with Syaoran while Sakura herself had to go a different way. Sakura knew she would see Syaoran again within the hour, but that didn't help with the stab of emotion she felt.

Syaoran and Luna briefly passed by the Weasley twins and a little girl they were flanking. The twins were pointing at Hagrid while undoubtedly making up some suitably humorous lie. Then the crowd shifted, and they were all lost to Sakura's sight.

"Come on. Let's go," Gloria said, directing Sakura and Anthony in the direction of the less romantic carriages which would take them to the ceremony.

The carriages were lined up in almost the exact opposite direction that Hagrid was leading Syaoran and the rest of the first-year students towards. There was a huge procession of vehicles with enough space to carry all of the non-first-year students.

It quickly became apparent why there had been such a hurry to crowd out of the train. Much like the cabins in the Hogwarts Express, the carriages were quickly filling up. For the slightly slower students, that translated into a long walk to the back of the procession to find an empty carriage. For the final stragglers, it could also very well mean that friends would need to separate for the ride to the castle.

Sakura had overcome her innate fear of ghosts the previous year, but that didn't stop her from finding the strange winged horses in front of each of the carriages a bit scary. While they looked vaguely like ghosts, they were substantially more solid. It added extra weight to their existence, and that existence was an inherently spooky one at that with their gaunt bodies and large leathery wings. The dim light of the moon only made their large dark and leathery figures seem that much more foreboding. They were scary in the same sense that a pit full of snakes was scary. Sakura didn't honestly think that she was in any danger from them, but likewise not being able to fall into the pit didn't make the snakes inside any less fear-inducing.

"Why can't they just use ordinary horses for these carriages?" Sakura asked, strategically placing herself furthest from the ghostly horses as they walked down the line of vehicles.

"I imagine it'd be expensive to feed them all. Hogwarts has got to have a bigger budget than we do, but feeding horses gets expensive after a while. If you'd only use them a couple of time a year, I doubt it'd be worth it," Anthony said as the three of them walked past full-carriage after full-carriage.

"But those things," Sakura said, pointing at the creatures she didn't know the name of, "have to eat stuff too. It can't be any cheaper to use them instead of regular horses."

"What things?" Anthony asked.

"Those things. Those weird winged horse things," Sakura said, pointing at one of the mounts in front of a passing carriage.

"Oh no. Don't tell me that she's contagious," Gloria said. "I'm warning you, if you start talking about kruffles or jumping hexapoads or anything like that I'm leaving right now."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked, confused by her two friends' reactions. She didn't push it.

"Finally, an empty one," Anthony remarked as they started getting close to the end of the line. He let Gloria climb in first, followed by Sakura, before he entering the carriage himself.

"Hey, Gloria, mind if I join you?" a boy asked from the side of the carriage shortly after the three of them had settled. He wore the Gryffindor red and gold tie and house emblem on his robe. Both were easily visible in the dim light of the lantern hanging off the side of the vehicle.

Gloria looked in askance towards Sakura and Anthony. Sakura shrugged back. She would have loved it if Lisa could have joined them, but if she was with Wayne then it was doubtful they would have enough space to fit all five of them.

Anthony shrugged back as well.

"Sure. Get in, Jack," Gloria said. She moved a bit over, which gave room for Sakura and Anthony to move in as well.

"Great, thanks," Jack said. He climbed in, turning the excessively spacious bench for three into a comfortable bench for four. "I'm Jack Sloper. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Anthony Goldstein," Anthony introduced himself with a wave.

"Sakura Kinomoto. It's a pleasure to meet you," Sakura introduced herself as well.

"So, Gloria, still thinking of trying out for the Quidditch team?" Jack asked.

"Of course," Gloria said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Given it was Gloria, it might have been. "You?"

"Of course," Jack responded, echoing Gloria's tone. "What position are you hoping for?"

"Not sure. Maybe a Chaser. How about you?" Gloria asked back.

"A Beater if I can get it," Jack answered back.

"Oh, good luck with that. Fred and George got those positions pretty well cornered," Gloria said.

As Gloria and Jack continued talking about Quidditch, Sakura leaned back and thought about the incredibly poor way the four of them were positioned. Sakura didn't especially care about Quidditch, and from past experience she knew Anthony didn't especially care about it either. However, there they were, trapped between the two Gryffindor students who were waxing poetic about their plans and hopes for the upcoming Quidditch season.

Neither of the Ravenclaw students bothered chiming in with even cursory phrases to act like they were part of the conversation. Sakura doubted that either Gloria or Jack noticed, given how caught up they were in talking about plays and players. She just leaned her head back and tuned out the excited dialogue as the carriages started moving.

The vehicles proceeded along some dirt roads. They creaked, squeaked, and bumped up and down like it was the 1800s or earlier. It was atmospheric, to be sure, but it was also hard to really get comfortable. Sakura had to sit back up to prevent knocking her head against the backrest every time the carriage gave a strong jostle.

Outside the window, a signpost directing the way both towards Hogwarts and towards a place called Hogsmead passed by. They went in the direction of Hogwarts.

In the distance, Sakura could see the fantastic castle where classes were held. It was from an angle she had never seen it before. She could still recognize various landmarks, such as the notably tall spires of Ravenclaw Tower, but it was an academic knowledge of the buildings which triggered none of the sense of familiarity she was accustom to having in the school itself. The view was much less impressive than the one she had seen during the approach by foot she had taken the previous year. The framing of the scene by the carriage window, which prevented her from seeing the entire majesty of the complex all at once, somehow cast the numerous stone facings and glowing windows in a much more mundane light. The distant moon in the background and the shadowed embankment in front of the stony facades of the building fought to counter this by adding a touch of atmosphere. However, there was just no way to compete with that awesome sight when the first-years turned that corner on that dirt path and the castle presented itself in all its glory to the tired students.

"What do you make of the train stopping on the way here? Do you know anything about it?" Jack asked. It cut through the fog of Sakura's distraction and demanded her attention.

Sakura unconsciously held her breath.

"No," Gloria casually lied through her teeth. As Sakura understood it, Gloria had had a fair bit of practice with that in the past. "Do you know anything about it?"

"Well, I heard," Jack said, saying the common preface for much of the gossip which was one of the de facto currencies of the school, "that there were these students who were showing off and one of them messed up a charm and broke the train."

Sakura might have been surprised by how fast the news had spread, but she had spent the previous year at Hogwarts and thus was well familiar how quickly news spread in that cloistered environment. That the entire student body was present on the train just made the process that much faster.

"Oh, really?" Gloria asked, surprise and interest in her voice. If Sakura didn't know better she would have honestly thought that Gloria was hearing this for the first time. "Did you hear anything about that, Sakura?"

"No," Sakura said, trying to act as casually as Gloria did. She felt clumsy with the lie, but the way the dim light of the carriage masked her face and the fact Jack had only just met her made her think she could get away with it. "How about you, Anthony? Did you?"

"No," Anthony said, even less convincingly than Sakura.

"I don't know how true it is, but right before the train stopped I heard this big boom. And then all these professors went running to the back of the train. One of the engineers went chasing right after them," Jack said.

"I see," Sakura said, hoping that the subject would somehow get changed away from the debacles that she and Syaoran had gotten into.

Conveniently, the caravan had arrived at Hogwarts by this point. It saved Sakura from needing to endure the worries of this particular conversation topic any longer. The carriage that Sakura rode drew to a stop and she quickly followed Jack out of the vehicle, enjoying the freedom and relief much more than when she had escaped the Hogwarts Express earlier in the evening.

The four of them made their way into the Great Hall, joining the large collection of students on the same path. The majority of them had already taken their seats when Sakura, Gloria, Anthony, and Jack entered the large room which had been enchanted such that the ceiling showed the starry sky above, as if the ceiling was invisible.

At this point the two Ravenclaw students and the two Gryffindor students bid farewell to each other and split up to go to their respective tables. The start-of-term banquet, much like all of the special events, was always treated much more formally than ordinary meals where students could sit wherever they liked. By unspoken understanding all of the students sat in their respective houses.

Sakura and Anthony walked down the aisle in the middle of the room. Sakura kept her eyes peeled, searching through all of the students wearing Ravenclaw's colors for one face in particular. She didn't have to look far.

"Sakura. Anthony," Lisa called out, catching their attention. "There you are. I was starting to worry that I had missed you."

Lisa had saved two seats next to her which Sakura and Anthony were only too happy to take. They took their places on the long benches as the final stragglers entered the hallway.

"Did you hear about the train accident? I heard the reason we had stopped was because some students broke the train," Lisa said.

"Hoe," Sakura complained to herself.

It wasn't just Jack and Lisa, either. The fragments of conversation Sakura could overhear surrounding her all seemed to pertain to her and Syaoran's escapade on the train. While it wasn't as bad as starting her entire life in Hogwarts as "the girl who blew out a window of the Hogwarts Express," starting her second-year that way wasn't much more appealing.

"Yeah, we know about it," Anthony said, shaking his head. "That bloody show-off."

Lisa looked back and forth between her two friends on either side of her. Her eyes widened and she asked in a quiet voice, "You are joking, right? You mean you were involved with that?"

As Lisa spoke, something ineffable around the room changed.

Sakura tightened her face but didn't respond. Anthony didn't say anything either. The lack of response was all Lisa needed.

"Why am I not surprised? It does seem like you are involved with all of the rumors around here, Sakura," Lisa said.

There was definitely something different about the room. The Gryffindor table was certainly talking louder now.

"That's not true. I almost never am. What about that big argument between Nearly Headless Nick and the Bloody Baron? Or that weird break-in in the Slytherin common room? And don't forget Professor Quirrel, either." Sakura said, naming some of the more prominent rumors which had circulated Ravenclaw the previous year.

"Very well. You may be correct," Lisa conceded, "but you do seem to get into more trouble than most of the people here."

The commotion not only spread from the Gryffindor table to the Slytherin table, it also jumped across the large space in the center of the Great Hall to reach the Ravenclaw table. Sakura listened in a bit. She realized with a shock, and no insignificant amount relief, that the impossible had happened. Something had knocked news and speculation about the mysterious explosion and train stoppage off the top of the gossip list. Something even bigger than the breaking of the Hogwarts Express.

Harry Potter was missing.

Even now it seemed to be spreading to the Hufflepuff table as well. Many of the students were turning to get a better look at the Gryffindor table, searching for confirmation as if they could actually see anything among the dozens upon dozens of faces there. Never mind that half of the Gryffindor students had their faces turned away from the rest of the room. Still it was a natural reflex. Sakura found herself doing the same thing, trying to spot the famous boy despite only having a passing familiarity with what he looked like.

What was going on? Was it some prank? Had something happened to The Boy Who Lived? Had anybody seen him on the Hogwarts Express? When was the last time anybody had actually seen him? Were they sure?

This interest wasn't purely limited to the students, either. At the front of the room sat Professor Dumbledore and the various school teachers. Most of them were scanning up and down the Gryffindor table as well, some more surreptitiously than others.

Professor Dumbledore leaned over to Professor Snape and said something impossible to make out through the din of excited conversation. Professor Snape glowered in response, a facial expression not foreign to his face and unmistakable to everybody in the room. The greasy Potions professor rose to his feet and stalked to one of the doors.

Much like a stove being turned up, this action quickly and noticeably increased the tension in the Great Hall. It brought with it a commensurate increase in noise as well. That confirmed it. Harry must be missing. What were the professors going to do now? Why had Professor Dumbledore sent Professor Snape away, seeing how he was possibly the only professor who actually hated Harry? What would Professor Snape do if he actually found The Boy Who Lived?

This bubbling mass of emotion and tension broke just after the door behind the departing Professor Snape closed. There was a loud series of screams and thumps from the side of the room. Sakura, along with everybody else present, quickly turned to stare at the source.

Somehow the benches surrounding the Slytherin table had all vanished. This left all of the Slytherin students on the ground in varying degrees of discomfort and embarrassed exposure depending on how they had fallen. If the timing hadn't been planned that way, it was the most incredible coincidence.

Once the source of the panic was identified, naturally everybody turned to look at Fred and George.

Both of the twins sat in perfectly calm oblivion. They showed the fake picture of perfect innocence which only the truly unrepentant trying to maintain plausible deniability while at the same time claiming credit can show. They were fooling nobody, which was probably their goal.

The cause of the prank now identified, the Gryffindor table wasted no time. Almost as one they turned and laughed at the misfortunes of the Slytherin house as the Slytherin students themselves tried to pick themselves up off the ground. The most notable exception to this jeering were the Weasley twins, although a couple of other Gryffindors stayed silent too.

The laughing quickly spread to the other tables as well. The Ravenclaw table and the Hufflepuff table joined in, the students around the latter having to exceptionally strain to see across the room to the rows upon rows of fallen Slytherins. The other two houses lacked the same esprit de corps in their reaction that the Gryffindor students had, but there were enough people pointing and laughing that it was more the rule than the exception.

The professors had a much different reaction. Professor Sprout had a mixture of shock and annoyance on her face, while Professor Flitwick only had annoyance. Professor Dumbledore, for his part, appeared as unflappable as ever. The most prominent and notable reaction from the head table was Professor Lockhart. His laughter was incongruousness with the other professors. It made him stand out even more than his bright purple robes already did.

"Very good, very good. It's nice to see some things never change. It reminds me of back when I was a student. I'm going to have to ask you to stop now, Ravenclaws. I'm a professor now so I can't play favorites, even if I was a Ravenclaw back in the day," Professor Lockhart said loudly. He flashed his well-polished and brilliant smile at their table. "You... uhh... Penny. Be a dear and bring their seats back. Pranking is well and good, but you need to know when to stop."

Confusion reigned while everybody tried to figure out what Professor Lockhart was talking about. He was staring straight at Penelope, the Ravenclaw prefect. It seemed like he was blaming the Ravenclaw house for this latest exploit of the Weasley twins.

Once this became clear, the ruckus from moments earlier redoubled with the Gryffindor students adding in jeers and taunts at the supposedly troublemaker Ravenclaws and one red-faced Penelope. The Hufflepuff table looked thunderstruck, whereas the majority of the Slytherin students just focused on regaining their footing. Those Slytherin students who had already managed to get to their feet shouted insults at the Gryffindor table, and their jeers were slowly being joined in by several Ravenclaw students. Sakura was tempted to join in the retaliation against the unfair accusations from the Gryffindor table.

This came to a head when Professor Flitwick took to his feet on his chair and said in a voice louder than all of the jeering combined, "That's enough." With the volume he spoke, it might have even been magically enhanced.

It was like somebody had thrown a bucket of ice over everybody. The shouting and jeering immediately stopped.

"This is not the way to greet new students into these hallowed halls," Professor Flitwick said. He waived his wand and benches reappeared on both sides of the Slytherin table. "Please, take your seats."

There was some loud muttering from the Slytherins, and one of them called out, "What? Aren't you going to punish them?"

"Punish who, Mister Derrick?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Them. Fred and George," the older Slytherin student said, pointing at the Weasley twins.

"Do you have proof they did it?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"You know they did," the boy countered.

"I take it that is a 'no.' I would love to punish the culprits who did this, but without proof there's nothing I can do," Professor Flitwick said, staring intensely. It was obvious to Sakura that Professor Flitwick did know who did it and sincerely would like to punish them, but that he wouldn't act without concrete evidence.

Fred and George pointedly ignored him.

The Slytherin boy who had called out took a seat, muttering how unfair it was. He muttered loud enough that the whole room could hear, but Professor Flitwick and the others let him get away with it.

After the confrontation was over, the entire atmosphere of the room changed again. All of the professors kept an eagle-eyed watch over the students, especially on two particular twins sitting at the Gryffindor table. Under their watchful gaze, the fever-pitch speculation of Harry's absence had quieted considerably. It was instead replaced with quiet whispering between people who wanted to speak without drawing undue attention to themselves.

Anthony leaned towards Lisa and Sakura and asked, "Quite the coincidence of timing. You think Harry was in on that prank?"

"It could be, except I have not seen him at all for the entire trip. How would they have coordinated it?" Lisa asked.

"Who knows?" Sakura answered, leaning in as well.

In contrast to the exciting trip as a first-year, time passed by slowly in the Great Hall. It passed by even slower after the excitement of the prank against Slytherin at the start of the waiting. The frown of intense watchfulness the various professors wore just made the situation that much more tense, and made Sakura that much more acutely aware of each second ticking by. It was not just boring; it was a nervous boredom, like there was a storm about to break.

Eventually the doors pulled open. They revealed the figure of Professor McGonagall followed by the flock of children comprising the first-year students of 1992.

The entire experience was almost a complete mirror image of her own first-year sorting. A sedate carriage ride instead of the amazing revelation of Hogwarts Castle. A friendly camaraderie with people she knew well instead of getting to know a couple of otherwise strangers she happened to have met on a train. Wary boredom instead of a bout of nerves for the upcoming event. In retrospect, Sakura definitely preferred her experience on the other side of the sorting ceremony.

Everybody turned to stare at Professor McGonagall as she lead the children to the front of the room and to the stool where she would eventually place the Sorting Hat. There was literally nothing better to do. Several of the incoming children were gawking at the candles floating in the air and the apparent lack of a ceiling above. Most likely muggle-born children. Even Sakura took that magic for granted now, despite how impressed she had been when she had first seen it.

Sakura quickly spotted Syaoran. He didn't stand out exceptionally, being about the same height as the younger students despite being some two or three years older than them. Still, with the strength of his magic shining through, it was easy for Sakura to feel which area to look in. From there it was a simple matter to pick out her boyfriend from the crowd. He was still walking next to Luna.

Once everybody had gathered in a cluster at the front of the room, Professor McGonagall pulled out the dingy, pointed Sorting Hat and placed it on the stool. It sat there in quiescence for several seconds before the mouth of the hat near its brim cracked open and it began to sing.

"We welcome students one and all  
from London to Dundee,  
From Dublin and from places known  
to points across the sea.

"Dear Hogwarts greets you and your kind  
wherever you are from.  
Your only precondition is  
to learn and want some fun.

"Hogwarts was started years ago  
by four founders renown,  
each brought with them unique talents  
and tools to teach around.

"For Gryffindor the greatest trait  
is bravery all times,  
to stand firm in the darkest hour  
knowing all will turn out fine.

"Wise Ravenclaw thought one should place  
wit highest of all things;  
important for the humble man,  
essential for great kings.

"For Slytherin, strength, cunning, and  
blood purity were best,  
and with them all a wizard would  
stand out above the rest.

"And finally for Hufflepuff  
was loyalty most dear.  
With friendship and with true allies  
there's nothing you should fear.

"With all these virtues featured here  
you may want to know  
to which of these fine houses you'd  
be best suited to go.

"To this I tell you, 'worry not,'  
they made this hat you see.  
Just put me on and I'll tell you  
the place where you should be."

It was a tribute to how much Sakura's English had improved that she actually understood what the hat was singing this year, even if she didn't fully appreciate it. That didn't stop her from politely joining in the more enthusiastic applause from the collective student body.

The hat then fell silent and returned to its previous state of quiescence, awaiting its first student.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, now holding a scroll in front of her. She announced for the benefit of the young students, "When I call your name, take a seat on the stool and place the hat upon your head to be sorted. Alden, Andrea!"

A young girl who Sakura could actually see shaking from nervousness made her way forward to the hat. Sakura could sympathize, remembering her own nerves during her sorting. It had been stressful for her, and she had even known what to expect when her turn had come up. To be the first person would be just that much worse.

Andrea sat on the stool and gingerly placed the hat on her head. After a couple of seconds it dutifully announced, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

There was some light cheering from the Hufflepuff table as Andrea took the hat off her head. Her uniform was already forming the yellow and black tie and badger house crest signifying the Hufflepuff house. She dazedly took to her feet and made her way over to the their table.

Professor McGonagall gave no pause, automatically announcing, "Brown, Eric!"

The announced boy confidently made his way up to the just vacated stool to take his turn. Despite this, Eric wasn't actually the focus of attention in the room. Behind him one of the first-year girls had pulled out a newspaper and was unfolding it. Her straggly blonde hair was unmistakable, if the action of reading a newspaper in the middle of the sorting ceremony hadn't been enough of a clue.

It was Luna.

"What does she think she is doing? Does she have no manners or common sense?" Lisa asked. At a whisper, of course.

Anthony let out of groan of exasperation and whispered back, "No. I think she actually doesn't. You didn't sit with her for half the trip here."

"You know her?" Lisa asked. In the background there was some a smattering of claps as Eric was sorted, although Sakura wasn't even paying attention.

"We met her on the ride here. Her name is Luna, and she's a bit..." Sakura hesitated, trying to find the most appropriate adjective to use, "...odd."

"'Odd' is not the word to use. My aunt Gretchen is 'odd.' Luna's outright crazy. She should be attending St. Mungo, not Hogwarts. I really hope she gets sorted into another house," Anthony said.

"I see," Lisa said. She returned to staring at the girl.

The sorting continued apace. Nobody actually tried to stop Luna from reading her newspaper. It was probably upside down again, although it was too far away for Sakura to be sure. One thing that was certain was that Luna was the center of attention in the room, rather than the hat or the students being sorted one at a time. Most of the student body and many of the professors were openly staring at her.

After what seemed like far too long, Professor McGonagall eventually announced, "Li, Syaoran!"

That caught Sakura's attention. She watched as Syaoran approached the stool with determination, picked up the hat, hesitated only for a moment, and then pulled it over his head.

A second ticked by. Sakura held her breath.

A second ticked by. The already glacial slowness of time seemed to freeze.

A second ticked by. Syaoran fidgeted in his seat.

A second ticked by. Had all of the sortings taken this long?

A second ticked by. Sakura chanced a quick glance around the room, but nobody else seemed to think anything was amiss.

A second ticked by. What was taking so long?

A second ticked by. The hat opened its mouth.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Sakura expelled her breath, disappointment crushing her hopes. Syaoran looked less than pleased as well. His face reflected Sakura's own feelings as the emblems of Slytherin formed on his uniform. By far he was the most disappointed person so far with his sorting. He gave a defeated look towards Sakura, and then slowly trudged his way over to the lightly cheering Slytherin table.

"Lovegood, Luna!" Professor McGonagall announced, ignoring the drama which had just unfolded before her.

Luna didn't respond.

"I said, 'Lovegood, Luna!'" Professor McGonagall announced again, slightly louder and definitely more annoyed. This caused a titter of laughter across the various tables.

This time Luna did start moving forward, folding her newspaper under her arm and drifting her way towards the stool in front. When she got within an arm's reach of the hat she stopped and then loudly protested, "You want me to put that on? It looks like the perfect breeding ground for wrackspurts."

"I assure you that the Sorting Hat is perfectly sanitary. Please put it on, Ms. Lovegood," Professor McGonagall said. Hints of frustration barely leaked out in her tightly controlled voice.

Luna didn't say anything more. She picked up the hat by its tip and then used her folded newspaper to beat it a couple of times.

Sakura could almost see the thoughts floating around everybody's head, echoing Anthony's earlier statement. She genuinely thought this might be the first time that every house hoped that the new student would be sorted into somebody else's house.

Luna then sat down on the table and gingerly, carefully, placed the hat on her head just so.

Time ticked by.

More time ticked by.

Even more time ticked by.

Sakura was sure that this was the longest sorting that she had ever experienced. It felt even longer that Syaoran's sorting, and given how nervous she had been for Syaoran's sorting that meant something.

Still even more time ticked by.

Yet still even more time ticked by.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat eventually announced. It could have been her imagination, but Sakura swore she could hear a question mark coloring that declaration.

Nobody in Ravenclaw seemed too happy as Luna's tie took on the colors of her house. This might be the first time that other houses clapped and cheered more than the receiving house did upon getting a new member. There were a tint of laughter as well, but it wasn't loud enough to single out any specific person.

Luna didn't seem to notice any of this as she took the Sorting Hat off her head. She proceeded to hit herself on the head a couple of times with her newspaper before making her way over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Great... So we get the crazy witch," Anthony said. "Do you think we can trade?"

Before Sakura could respond, she noticed that Luna wasn't just walking towards the Ravenclaw table; she seemed to be walking directly at her. This appearance quickly proved to be reality as Luna came to a stop between Sakura and Lisa. She then stepped over the bench and forced herself in between the two girls. The motion was awkward because not only was there not enough space for her, there wasn't even a place setting there. This had the effect of pushing Sakura into her neighbor, who pushed into his neighbor, who pushed into his neighbor, and so on down the line until an open place setting was found.

Lots of dirty glares were directed to the newly sorted Ravenclaw girl. Luna seemed oblivious to them all. Instead Luna turned to Lisa and hit her on the head with her newspaper.

"What was that for?" Lisa protested.

"I'm sorry. It seems I was too slow," Luna said. She then unfolded her newspaper and started reading it again. Upside down.

Lisa stared at the young girl in shock and confusion, clearly at a loss for what to say in response.

"I told you so," Anthony said to Lisa, barely masking his voice.

Sakura probably wouldn't have cared half as much if Luna had been reading her newspaper normally, but that it was upside down just intrigued her. She couldn't help but look over Luna's shoulder, trying to discover what had caught the odd girl's attention so much that she continued to read it while the sorting ceremony was still ongoing.

"Sǝlɟ-dɹoɔlɐıɯǝp ɐuʇı-slɐʌǝɹʎ ɐɔʇıʌısʇs ɥɐʌǝ ɔlɐıɯǝp ɔɹǝpıʇ ɟoɹ ʇɥǝ ǝsɔɐdǝ oɟ ʇɥonsɐups oɟ ɯɐupɹɐʞǝ dlɐuʇs ıu ʍɥɐ..."

Sakura's efforts were put to a halt when Luna turned the page. Rather than start over again with a new paragraph, which would most likely be interrupted again given how slowly Sakura was forced to read the upside down characters, she instead turned her attention back to the sorting taking place in the front of the room. She might not care very much about any of the remaining new students, but it was more interesting that reading out upside down letters one at a time.

The sorting continued for another couple of students before she noticed something. Sakura turned to her neighbor, the one who wasn't reading a newspaper, and asked the older boy she didn't really know, "Is it just me or does it seem like everybody doesn't care as much about this sorting as last year?"

The boy next to her answered, "It's to be expected, isn't it? Harry Potter's not being sorted this year. Last year was special because everybody wanted to know where he'd go, but usually the sorting feels like more of a formality than anything. I know I'd skip it if I could."

"That's kind of sad," Sakura said.

"Maybe, but what can you do? If it's not your year then it's not like it'll affect you all that much. Even if it did it's not like we know anything about the firsties yet, except for, you know..." the boy said, gesturing with his head at Sakura's other neighbor

Sakura nodded in understanding. If it hadn't been for Syaoran's being sorted, and in an odd way Luna's being sorted as well, she probably wouldn't have noticed any of the sortings this year at all. In fact, besides those two, she honestly couldn't remember where anybody else had been placed despite it having happened only minutes ago. It was kind of boring.

"You should have brought something to read too," Luna casually remarked to Sakura, catching her by surprise. "Do you want part of my paper? I've already finished half of it."

"No, thank you," Sakura said. She didn't think she had it in herself to be so rude as to read a newspaper during the ceremony.

The only remaining sorting Sakura took notice of was when one "Weasley, Ginevra" got sorted into Gryffindor, and that had as much to do with her being the last student as it did with the recognized and infamous Weasley name.

Her task done, Professor McGonagall rolled up the scroll and picked up the Sorting Hat. Professor Dumbledore then got to his feet, bringing the room to absolute silence and waking up the half-dazed student body.

"Welcome everybody!" he announced. "Welcome to another new year at Hogwarts. I hope your heads have had a chance to empty out over the summer so we can fill them up with brand new things. I have nothing to say before we begin the banquet, so I hope you'll indulge me. Thank you!"

Professor Dumbledore then sat down. All of the plates in the hall were now covered with food.

Long accustomed to the magical appearance of dishes during special events, Sakura wasn't put off and quickly joined in with everybody else and helped herself. The dinner passed by quickly, as tasty and heavy as she remembered from her past meals at Hogwarts. Everybody seemed to be in good spirits. The mystery of the missing Harry Potter wasn't forgotten as such, but people were more than happy to push it to the side in favor of the delicious feast. Sakura spent her time in equal parts feeding herself, sneaking food to Keroberos, and exchanging longing glances with Syaoran across the room. He exchanged them back just as longingly.

Early in the meal, Sakura noticed Professor McGonagall lean over and whisper something to Professor Dumbledore in the front of the room while pointing to the Gryffindor table. He said something back, but whatever it was it didn't seem to make her very happy. Professor McGonagall subsequently stood up and proceeded to walk out of the room. This might have been predictable given the still missing Harry Potter.

As expected, in the middle of the meal, as Sakura happened to be sneaking Keroberos a large sausage, the various ghosts appeared. Nearly Headless Nick flew down the Gryffindor table, meeting and greeting several of the new students. The Fat Friar did the same for the Hufflepuff table, just as jolly as Nearly Headless Nick was carefree.

The Bloody Baron made an appearance as well, descending directly in front of Syaoran as he was being nudged by one of his neighbors who was simultaneously pointing at Sakura and saying something. She wondered what they were talking about. Syaoran just waved both his neighbor and the ghost off.

Grey Lady did not make an appearance.

Once everybody, even Keroberos, had had their fill and more, plus a bit of dessert just to be on the safe side, Professor Dumbledore took to his feet again. The hall once again fell silent.

"Now that you are all no longer in danger of starving to death, I have just a few start-of-term notices to add before I bid you all a good evening. First, for the new students, you should note that the forest on the grounds is off-limits for all pupils. A couple of older students would do well to remember that as well," Professor Dumbledore said, directing his gaze primarily at the Gryffindor table as he said this.

"Second, the hallways near the greenhouses are currently being re-charmed so that area will be off limits for the first two months of the year. Anybody caught there will be severely punished, and should see Madam Pomfrey about regrowing their hair. Third, Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you that magic should not be used in the corridors between classes," Professor Dumbledore announced. The perpetually grouchy and seemingly stooped Mr. Filch standing in the back corner of the room grumped a bit at that announcement.

"Fourth, the Quidditch trials will be held on the third week of the term this year. Anybody interested in playing for their house team should contact Madam Hooch. Finally, as you are all aware, Professor Quirrel has moved on and is no longer teaching here. So for this year, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Gilderoy Lockhart..." Professor Dumbledore announced.

The students, more girls than boys, started clapping and cheering at that announcement. The named professor took to his feet, flashed a brilliant smile to the students, and said before Professor Dumbledore could resume speaking, "Thank you, thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. When Professor Dumbledore begged me to come teach at Hogwarts, I was honored. Of course, it was only natural for him to come to somebody as capable as me with my Order of Merlin, my membership in the Dark Force Defense League, and my five-time winning of 'Witch Weekly's' Most Charming Smile Award. But this isn't about me; it's about what I can do for you. The prestige, the honor, and the skills you can only develop under a world-class wizard like myself. With my knowledge and experience, I'll see to it that each and every one of you will be the best you can be. The world can be a dangerous place, let me tell you. Like the time I faced down the Wagga Wagga Werewolf who was terrorizing that village before I was able to corner the beast and cast a Homorphus charm, forcing it back to human form."

"Exactly right," Professor Dumbledore deftly interjected himself before Professor Lockhart could continue. "We're all grateful that you have decided to join this fine institution. With that said, I'm sure everybody is eager to get to bed and have a fresh start for the fresh school year, but before that, let's sing the school song!"

Several of the teachers' faces took on a distinctively wooden smile at this declaration. Professor Dumbledore didn't seem to notice as he flicked his wand, causing a golden ribbon to emerge, float up in the air, and spell out some lyrics.

"Everyone pick your favorite tune, and off we go!" Professor Dumbledore announced, and then started the singing.

Sakura's English might have improved to the point that she could understand the song the Sorting Hat had sung, but it hadn't improved to the point of understanding the cacophony of noise which followed Professor Dumbledore's lead. In fact she was relatively sure that even native speakers of English would have had a hard time following the jumble of tempos, melodies, harmonies, and mumblings which comprised the alleged song. Sakura just closed her eyes and tried to shut her ears to the noise all around her, unknowingly mimicking a very similar behavior from Luna right next to her. It finally came to an end with Fred and George, singing arm in arm what sounded like a slow dirge. They continued for some two minutes after the last of the other singers had ended.

"The magic of music," Professor Dumbledore said wistfully. "With that, off to bed. Good evening, everybody."

Sakura gave a quick wave to Syaoran, who returned it. Then the sound of the multitude of Hogwarts students simultaneously climbing to their feet resonated around the Great Hall and order was lost to the room.

* * *

When Richard and Penelope, the two prefects who were leading the Ravenclaw students to Ravenclaw Tower, reached the stairs to climb into the dormitories, as was tradition Sakura and the other returning students slowed down and let the first-year students take the lead so they might to hear the riddle and its answer. She still found herself closer to the front than the back of the group, and was easily in earshot to hear the knocker ask, "What is the most significant number in Arithmancy."

"Of all the rotten... I'm pants at Arithmancy. What did Professor Vector say last year? I think it's seven..." Richard, the prefect who was leading the group, mused out loud. "A little help here, Penelope?"

"It's not seven. Seven may one of the most powerful numbers but the question was what is the most significant number," Penelope said, coming to the rescue of her fellow prefect. Then, directing herself to the door to Ravenclaw Tower, she answered, "Numbers only derive their meaning in relation to other numbers, so there is no single most significant number in Arithmancy."

"Well reasoned," the knocker said before the door swung open.

Richard then said, "Well, there goes my chance of impressing all you first-years, but let that be a lesson to you. To succeed in Ravenclaw you'll need your wits and a wide breadth of knowledge, but that alone won't be enough. Many a time you'll be stuck somewhere. Maybe doing your homework, or maybe trying to open the door to the dorms at night. Don't be afraid to ask for help, and be willing to help others who are in need of it."

Sakura nodded to herself. She had lost count of the number of times she had been trying to get into the dorm rooms and had been faced with an unanswerable question. She knew she wasn't alone. If the door didn't quickly change away from the topic of Arithmancy, or maybe magic theory if that was what it was currently questioning, she had a sneaking feeling that her first lockout of the year might be the next time she tried to enter Ravenclaw Tower on her own.

Once all of the first-year students filed into the Ravenclaw Common Room, Sakura joined with the others in following in afterward. There was some token discussion floating around about the still-missing Harry Potter, but it was nothing Sakura really wanted to get involved in. Instead she made her way to her dorm room. She found to her surprise that it was the same room she had had the previous year. In fact there was no overt indication that anything had changed from the previous year, excepting the different contents of Sakura's luggage and the sign on the outside of the door now labeling the room as now belonging to second-year students.

Thus it was easy for Sakura and Lisa to join the already unpacking Deborah and Linda and quickly settle in prior to going to bed. It all went very smoothly. Deborah didn't try to glomp onto Keroberos even once, no matter how much it looked like she was tempted to.

* * *

Last Updated: June 11, 2020


	5. Sakura's Second First Day

Chapter 5: Sakura's Second First Day

Sakura's heart raced. Her body was covered in sweat. Fear poured through her veins.

She snapped her eyes open and frantically looked around. She was lying in her bed.

There wasn't anything there.

A nightmare, she quickly realized. The unnamed terror she felt slowly disappeared at that conclusion. Her heartbeat settled into a more normal rhythm.

Normally getting interrupted from sleep was not a fun thing to have happen, but this was not a normal day. Sakura was actually kind of happy that her sleep had been cut short. If she hurried down to breakfast then there was a chance that she would be able to see Syaoran before classes started. It had been maybe eight hours since she had seen him last, and she missed him dearly already.

That wasn't actually true. She didn't really miss him as such. She had spent far more time than a measly few hours forcibly separated from him in the past. However, that didn't stop her from wanting to see him again so soon. If her forecast was right then he would be thinking the same thing she was and they could meet up for a nice long breakfast.

Sakura quietly climbed out of bed, being careful not to disturb her roommates. It was early enough that even Lisa, the morning lark of the four of them, was still fast asleep. Once on her feet, it was an easy task for Sakura to quickly prepare herself with the ease of habit.

It was a tough call as to whether or not she should invite Keroberos to join her. Ultimately she decided not to. He was still sleeping and he wasn't officially allowed to eat in the Great Hall, no matter how many times they had flouted that rule before. Sakura ultimately decided to leave a note behind for him before slipping out of the bedroom. As she walked, Sakura giggled to herself, imagining what Keroberos's reaction would be when he woke up and learned that she had left without him.

Sakura stifled a yawn as she went. That she was awake didn't mean that she was fully rested.

The quiet hallways weren't awake either. They didn't yet echo with the clatter of recreation and education. Even the portraits were asleep. Despite the silence all around her, the vibrations of life were still very present, unlike when she had left for the summer a few months ago. Even without people in sight, there was no doubt that school was now in-session. The building practically hummed with the humanity contained within.

Sakura's timing couldn't have been more perfect. She arrived at the Great Hall right as it opened. Nobody else was in sight. She took a seat at the Ravenclaw table and she contented herself to wait. As she did so, she pulled out the scroll which contained her class schedule. She had found it on her bed when she had arrived there the previous night. A quick comparison with her roommates confirmed that they did in fact have the same schedule as her, which was to be expected. As she re-reviewed it, almost unnoticed by her, a team of house elves brought in several different plates containing traditional breakfast fare.

It looked like the first class of the day would be Transfigurations. That was a nice start for the day as well as for the school term. Sakura always did like Transfigurations. It was one of her better subjects.

After that was Herbology, which was a fine enough class. Then a break for lunch.

After lunch would be Charms, which was a less than fine enough class. She had had a great deal of trouble with Charms in the past. Despite her extra practice over the summer, and her commensurate increase in confidence performing all of the charms she had learned the previous year, she was still a bit apprehensive. Sakura somehow found Professor Flitwick's class to be so much less intuitive than classes like Professor Snape's. Still, it could present a good opportunity to bring up her question about her plans for her skates.

Ending the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts.

All in all it would be quite the busy schedule for her first day back in academics.

Sakura put the scroll back into her pocket for later consultation and instead focused on getting something to eat. The elves had been as efficient and quiet as usual. Sakura had a veritable banquet to choose from in front of her. She quickly settled on some light toast and jam.

As she helped herself, some sounds from across the room caught her attention. They were too distant to hear properly, but she would recognize the voice anywhere. It proved that her forecast had been correct. Entering the room was Syaoran. He was leading two other boys Sakura didn't recognize. Their green and silver ties made it easy to tell that they were in the same house as her boyfriend.

They stopped briefly at the door and had a minor discussion before Syaoran walked determinedly towards Sakura. The other two followed after a moment of hesitation.

Syaoran quickly made his way over to Sakura and sat down. They were joined in short order by the two other boys. It made for an unusual sight. The Ravenclaw table had more Slytherin students sitting at it than Ravenclaw students.

"Morning. These are two of my roommates. This is Giles," Syaoran said, introducing a boy with black hair which was sleeked back, "and this is is Roger," who was a slightly taller boy with mussed up silvery-gray hair.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sakura," Sakura said. The two boys exchanged hellos with her as well.

"How was your night?" Syaoran asked as he stepped over the bench and took a seat next to Sakura.

"Pretty bad, actually," Sakura said, causing Syaoran to briefly look at her. She explained, "I had a bad dream."

"You did? What was it?" Syaoran asked. Across from him and Sakura, the two Slytherin boys were helping themselves to the plates arranged before them.

Sakura tried to think back to when she had woken up. It had all seemed so clear back then. No, it hadn't seemed clear at all then, but it had been better than trying to dredge up the memory of a memory of a memory. She said, "I just remember something big and green, and then dying. It was scary."

"Dying? Then how come you're still alive? Everybody knows if you die in a dream then you die in real life too," Roger said, his meal temporarily forgotten.

Giles took that as a cue and, slapped the back of Roger's head. He derided, "Idiot. That's not true at all."

"Yes it is, you moron," Roger said back, shoving the shorter boy in retaliation.

"If that's the case then how do they know the person who died died in their dream, genius?" Giles retorted.

Syaoran ignored the antics of his roommates and asked Sakura in a low voice, "Do you think it might be a premonition? Like that thing with Yue?"

"I hadn't really thought about it. Maybe it could be," Sakura said. It was hard to say. She hadn't had many premonitions so didn't really have very much to compare the nightmare against.

"You mean you had a prophesy? Seriously?" Giles asked, the egg on his fork forgotten at the prospect of hearing about a prophesy.

"How's it go?" Roger asked, interested but not to the point of forgetting about his meal. He took a big bite out of the sausage he had skewered on his fork.

"It was a dream. I just remember bits and pieces. Just a flash of something green, and then dying," Sakura said, tense.

Syaoran reached over and gave her a comforting hug. He said, "So you only remember green and dying? Even if it was a vision of the future, which it might not be, all that means is that you should avoid green things."

"Like the Slytherin Dungeon," Roger said.

"And the forest," Giles helpfully added.

"And the Quidditch field," Roger agreed.

"And salads," Giles furthered.

"And... well... us," Roger supplemented, holding up his house tie and flicking it around a bit.

"Oww," Giles protested.

"Oww," Roger agreed.

"Ignore those idiots," Syaoran said. He put his words into practice and ignored how both boys were now leaning down to rub their shins, "Nothing bad will happen to you while I'm around, even if I am wearing green. I promise."

"Thanks," Sakura said.

The four of them talked a bit longer about whatever subject happened to come up. Apparently the first-year Slytherins began the school year with their Flying class, much to the three boys' excitement. All of the first-year Slytherins were abuzz due to that particular bit of fortune. Supposedly Giles had had some trouble sleeping the night before.

As they talked, more and more students filtered into the Great Hall. There were definitely more people than usual, even considering how the term had just started so the first-year students hadn't started skipping meals like their older classmates yet. Given the number of glances over at the Gryffindor table, it very much could have been the question of whether or not Harry had ever showed up at school that had dragged the students out of bed and to breakfast.

In fact he had. Sakura wasn't sure exactly when or how Harry had arrived, but The Boy Who Disappeared had been found and was now sitting at the Gryffindor table. There he was subjected to every surreptitious and not-so-surreptitious stare from the other tables. Beside him were his ever-present companion, Ron, and his usually-present companion, Hermione. Seeing how both he and Ron had missed the feast the previous night, their early presence in the dining hall made perfect sense.

By this point the Ravenclaw table no longer looked like it had been annexed by Slytherin. Several of Sakura's housemates had arrived to reinforce the Ravenclaw numbers. None of her roommates, though. It was strange. Usually Lisa was a bit earlier than this.

As if summoned by thought of her, Lisa entered the room. She quickly made her way down the wide aisle in the middle of the large room and took a seat next to Sakura. There was no sign of either of her other two roommates. Not even the question of Harry Potter's absence could pique their curiosity enough to overcome either Linda's or Debora's strong night owl tendencies.

"Good morning, Sakura. Good morning, Syaoran. Your name was Syaoran, correct?" Lisa greeted the pair of them.

"Oooo," Giles teased, "you have a harem in Ravenclaw? No wonder you wanted to sit here."

Roger was right behind his roommate, in a falsetto voice saying, "My darling Syaoran. How I've waited so long to see you again." He then made several exaggerated kissing sounds.

"Prat," Syaoran said directly to the pair. He then turned to the two girls at the table and asked in a loud voice while pointing at the two Slytherins with his thumb, "I really hope that these two aren't what I should expect around here."

"If you do not like them, then why are they here?" Lisa asked.

"They're my roommates. They've been following me around ever since last night," Syaoran said, rolling his eyes. He then did a double-take before outright turning his head up to stare towards the ceiling.

A single owl flies quietly. Stealth was the best way for them to catch their prey when hunting. However with the dozens, if not hundreds, of owls flying together overhead, much of that stealth was lost. Combined with the non-aerodynamic letters and packages they all carried, the sound of the morning mail delivery was both very distinctive and rather loud.

Sakura bore no illusions about the chances of her getting anything. She had never used the more fantastical owls above. Everybody she would correspond with or receive a package from was overseas, and thus the previous year she had only ever received or sent things via Kaho. Moreover, while she throughly expected to receive things from her family, Tomoyo, Mei-ling, Chiharu, Takashi, and several others, she also expected that it would be a few days before she would receive her first message in the Hogwarts.

She still looked up by reflex despite having seen the same sight countless times already. The avian couriers were still streaming in from above. The seemingly hundreds of them filled the air, blocking sight of the sky on the magical ceiling above. It still made for quite the sight, no matter how frequently she had seen it before. They scattered, each owl going to the person its parcel was destined for.

As she expected, none of them angled in her direction. This was in stark contrast to Lisa, who had a large box delivered with a note tied to the top. Sakura wasn't even quite sure how the owl managed to carry such a large delivery, which was several times larger than than owl was. Lisa relieved the owl of the burden and placed the package on the bench beside her, probably to open later once she was back in the dormitory and in a more private and convenient setting.

"Seriously? You mean they really do use owls to deliver things? I thought you were joking," Syaoran said.

"Of course we use owls. How else would you deliver things?" Roger asked. An owl dropped a letter in front of him as well. Roger picked it up and put in his pocket.

"I assumed with a postal service and people delivering the letters or something," Syaoran said.

"People? You mean they send people all across the countryside to hand deliver thing in the colonies? That sounds crazy. How large a staff do you have for that?" Giles asked. He unknowingly echoed the same sentiment that Gloria had expressed over the summer.

"That actually reminds me. How does the mail work over here? My family expects me to let them know how things are going," Syaoran asked.

"Last year whenever I wanted to send things to you or back to Japan I always gave them to Professor Mizuki and she would have Eriol send them out using the regular mail," Sakura said. She hadn't asked Kaho if that would continue this year, but she assumed the same process would be in effect.

"That seems like a lot of effort. Why not just send it with an owl, or maybe the floo network?" Giles asked.

"- STEALING THE CAR, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SURPRISED IF THEY EXPELLED YOU -" a booming voice screamed out in a voice louder than any normal woman could possibly shout. It interrupted Sakura's answer to Giles question.

Immediately the noise got the attention of everybody in the room. Sakura whipped around towards the source of the disturbance. In the center of it all was one Ron Weasley, trying his best to slouch beneath a table to hide himself. It did no good. His messy red hair would have been unmistakable, even if he wasn't sitting right next to the famous Harry Potter.

"What's that?" Sakura loudly asked Lisa. She was uncertain if her friend could hear her over the racket.

Lisa said something back, but Sakura couldn't make out very much over the shouting. The only word she thought she understood in Lisa's response was the word "howler."

"- THOUGHT YOUR FATHER WOULD DIE OF SHAME, WE DIDN'T BRING YOU UP TO -" the voice continued on. By this point everybody was staring at the young Weasley being magically howled at. A fierce blush was barely visible on the little bit of forehead still in sight above the table.

"I'm going to go ahead to class," Sakura tried to tell the others at the table as she stood up. The noise was definitely getting to her. It wasn't half as bad as the sound The Song had made the previous year in that confrontation in the greenhouse, but it still left her ears ringing and was giving her a headache. Transfigurations was one of her more favorite classes anyway.

Whether or not anybody heard her, Sakura had no idea, but they did see her. Syaoran got to his feet as well, as did Roger and Giles. Lisa stayed put. She had just arrived, after all, so would probably want to get something to eat even if that meant she had to suffer through the cacophony. Sakura felt a bit bad for her.

"- FATHER'S FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT -" the voice continued on, giving no indication of stopping as Sakura and Syaoran left the room. Behind them, the students around the Slytherin table, most prominently one young boy with sleek white-blond hair, were standing on their feet and pointing and laughing at Ron.

* * *

Transfigurations class wasn't nearly as interesting as Sakura was hoping it would be.

Ultimately the class itself was fine, but that was an adjective which could equally apply to the type of toothpaste she used. It was acceptable, but nothing really that great. She had expected great. She had expected fun, interesting, exciting, new. What she got was ordinary.

Last time she had come back from an absence from the school, over the winter holiday, Professor McGonagall had introduced the class to a fundamentally new idea: transfiguring living animals. It still made Sakura a bit nervous to treat other living things like that, but there was no long-term harm done that she could tell. She had expected after this break, especially given its length, there would be another fundamentally new concept she could really get into and learn about. Instead Professor McGonagall had spent the class lecturing about the same concepts they had learned already.

Sakura figured it could have been due to the long break over the summer. If the others hadn't practiced like she had, and she still didn't understand why they couldn't, then it could just take time to remember what they had previously worked on. Sakura hoped that that was the case and they would move on to something new soon.

As usual, the latter part of Transfigurations class was spent practicing a practical applications of transfigurations. Professor McGonagall instructed everybody to change their beetles into buttons and vice versa. They hadn't done that specific transfiguration the previous year, but it was basically the same idea as every transfiguration they had spent the second half of the previous term learning. It was nothing new and was also substantially easier than the final exam of the previous term when they had been told to transfigure a mouse into a snuffbox.

After Transfiguration class was Herbology. This meant the Ravenclaw class had to make its way to the greenhouses. Somewhat surprisingly, Professor Sprout stood waiting for them outside of Greenhouse Three. That was a bit of a difference as compared to the last term. In the previous year, they had conducted all of their Herbology classes in Greenhouse One.

Sakura gave a questioning look to both Anthony and Lisa, both of whom returned it. It seemed that somebody had decided that Greenhouse Three was in need of additional security since their last unfortunate romp in the building. The door now sported a new large lock.

Professor Sprout said nothing about that. As they entered she only gave a warning, "Watch your step inside. There are many dangerous plants in here. Stay on the path and don't go touching anything."

Greenhouse Three had been cleaned up considerably from when Sakura had last seen it. The footpath had been repaired, and only the faint hints of where it had been replaced remained visible to those who looked carefully. The smaller plants no longer looked like they had been lightly sprayed with defoliant, and the trees had regrown their branches to the point that it was hard to tell they had ever been broken.

Even without the warning, Sakura still would have been on guard in the greenhouse. The conversation from the morning came back to her, and all of the green foliage surrounding her put her on edge. She tried her best to suppress her fear as being foolish. What could possibly happen to her while in the middle of class surrounded by a bunch of other students and with a professor watching over them?

Sakura forced herself to pay attention as Professor Sprout announced, "Today we'll be re-potting some of our mandrakes. Can anybody tell me what the properties of a mandrake are?"

The entire Ravenclaw class raised their hands. This included Sakura. The door to Ravenclaw Tower had fixated on magical plants for a prolonged period of time late last term. As a result she knew more about the plant and its properties than she thought she would ever need.

"All of you?" Professor Sprout asked. "I should have known. Linda, why don't you tell us."

The slightly dumpy girl recited, "A mandrake has multiple uses. Its primary use is as the basis for several poison antidotes. It can also be used to reverse a transfiguration. Less frequently, when it's concentrated it can be used in some sleeping potions as well as in some love potions."

"Very good. Five points to Ravenclaw," Professor Sprout said. "However, mandrake is also quite dangerous. Can anybody else tell me why?"

All the hands raised up again. Professor Sprout called on Su this time. She answered, "The cries of a mandrake are extremely dangerous and can kill an unprotected person when they have reached maturity."

"Very good as well. Another five points for Ravenclaw. These mandrakes are still young so they won't kill you if you hear them, but they'll still knock you out for a few hours if you don't wear protection. Everybody grab a pair of earmuffs, and I'll show you how to do it," Professor Sprout said.

Everybody collected a pair of earmuffs. Sakura managed to grab an adorable pair of fluffy bright pink ones. They weren't quite the same color as the Key, but they were definitely reminiscent. She put them on and was surprised to find that they muffled all sound despite the imperfect seal they made around her ears. Magic, she concluded. Too bad she hadn't had them earlier in the morning during breakfast.

Professor Sprout reached over and pulled on the stem of a plant in a pot, pulling out the small mandrake plant. It had mottled skin and looked very much like a pale green human baby. It matched what "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi" had described. It was clearly upset. It looked like it was loudly crying throughout the time Professor Sprout spent placing it in a larger pot. She then buried it with compost until only the leaves were visible above the soil.

The magical earmuffs ensured that Sakura heard nothing.

Once the mandrakes were safely re-potted, Professor Sprout prompted all of the students to take off their earmuffs. She gave some last minute instruction and then let them all commence their own efforts of re-potting their mandrakes.

Sakura had a bit of trouble when she first started the re-potting. When she pulled out her first plant,one of her fingers was left near the front of the crying mandrake. The baby-like-plant reacted by reaching over to grab at her finger. Sakura responded by wiggling the finger back and got distracted playing with the plant. It quickly stopped crying and started smiling at her. Professor Sprout's hand waving in front of Sakura brought her back to task, though, and Sakura placed the plant into a large container and filled it with compost as she had been shown. She kept a more professional distance and detachment for the remainder of class as she migrated her plants to their new containers.

At the end of class, Professor Sprout complemented Sakura on how well she had handled the mandrake plants, but she also warned her that she shouldn't empathize with them too much as they would need to be harvested at some point. Being too emotionally attached would make that job that much harder. Sakura promised to be careful, although she wasn't sure how well she would be able to follow that advice.

Given the amount of dirt and grime covering the second-year Ravenclaw students after their efforts in Greenhouse Three, they were all thankful to have a chance to clean up a bit before heading to lunch. The time was such that they were still the first ones to arrive at the Great Hall, though, and had first shot at the lunch spread the house elves had laid out in preparation for the students' arrival.

Sakura, Lisa, and Anthony were deeply embroiled in conversation about the oddities of the house points observed so far as they took their seats in the middle of the Ravenclaw table.

"We have what, 16 points so far? That's the 6 from Professor McGonagall plus the 10 from Professor Sprout. What's going on? The winning score last year was 482. At the current rate, we'll have almost a tenth of that by the time the day's over, and that's just us second-years," Anthony commented as he sat.

Both he and Lisa disregarded the habitual "itadakimasu" Sakura said in preparation for every one of her meals.

"Yes, that is quite odd, but when I saw the house rankings it seems like everybody has about the same score. I wonder why the professors are giving out more points now," Lisa said.

"Maybe they're planning something big, but I don't see how giving out lots of points could be part of some big plan," Sakura speculated.

"Flying is so awesome," the unmistakable voice of Syaoran enthused from behind Sakura.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura said in excitement. She turned to see her boyfriend. He was alone this time, forgoing his Slytherin classmates to join her at the Ravenclaw table.

Anthony's face took on a scowl of annoyance. Syaoran didn't look too pleased at seeing Anthony either. Apparently the bad blood from the train ride hadn't blown over yet or something.

"I guess it might be exciting if you haven't seen it all before," Anthony said dismissively.

"Last year you were pretty excited about it too," Sakura said.

"Actually I just remembered I had promised to have lunch with Terry and Michael. I'll catch up with you later. Enjoy your lunch with your boyfriend," Anthony said, practically spitting out the word. He got to his feet and, still with a scowl, walked away.

Sakura shot a confused look to Lisa. Lisa sent back an equally confused look. That was definitely strange, but at least it made room for Syaoran. He easily slid in next to Sakura in the space Anthony had just vacated.

"Good riddance. I can't say I like that guy," Syaoran said.

The rest of lunch passed by quickly. Syaoran regaled them with tales of his first day on a broom. He had been hesitant at first, having been warned of what had happened to Sakura in the past. However Syaoran had quickly overcome his caution and took his place in the sky with the others. He was far from the most adapt flier in Slytherin, but likewise he was far from the least capable student. Some of them had spent most of the entire class trying to get their broom to lift off the ground.

Lunch was over in what seemed like far too short a time. Sakura barely had time to arrange for a place to meet Syaoran for homework prior to dinner. She was then forced to part with Syaoran's company once again.

It was with a mixture of dread and hope that Sakura walked with Lisa and the other second-year Ravenclaw students to the Charms classrooms. Dread because she had never really liked Charms class. She had never quite figured out what Professor Flitwick was trying to teach, and she had never quite managed to get her wand to act the way that it was supposed to when casting the various spells he was teaching. Hope because she had practiced a great deal over the summer, and she now felt more proficient than ever before. She was tentatively eager to show off exactly how much she had developed since the previous term.

The Charms classroom was set up a bit differently than normal. All of the furniture had been moved to the sides of the room. After the standard welcome back introduction to the class, Professor Flitwick started explaining how to cast the Incendio charm.

"It's like the Lumos charm, only instead of making a full circle you flick the wand up and down again like so. As you do so you say 'Incendio' like this. Incendio," Professor Flitwick said, flicking his wand. The effect of his charm was to light a small piece of wood hovering in the air on fire. He quickly extinguished it.

"This spell can be dangerous so we'll be doing it one at a time. Refrain from practicing except when it is your turn, and only aim for the target hovering in the air. I don't want you setting anything on fire in here except for this piece of wood," Professor Flitwick said. Sakura couldn't help but feel that he was talking directly at her, even though the professor didn't so much as glance at her while giving that warning. "Now who wants to be first? Ah, Anthony, very good, very good. Everybody else, form a queue behind him."

Sakura found her place in the middle of the line which formed. That suited her just fine. She definitely didn't want to be in the front, and she certainly didn't want to be in the back either.

"Okay. Whenever you're ready, Anthony," Professor Flitwick prompted.

Anthony flicked his wand in the way Professor Flitwick had instructed, the end of the wand forming what looked vaguely like a simplistic drawing of a flame in the air. Concurrently he said, "Incendio." The trail of magic emitted by Anthony's wand and took the shape of real fire as it surged forward before hitting the floating piece of wood and igniting.

"Very good, Anthony. First try. Ten points for Ravenclaw," Professor Flitwick said. He extinguished the fire. "Next."

Anthony's success was entirely predictable. He was the undisputed best caster of charms in the second-year Ravenclaw class. That didn't stop him from having a look of triumph on his face as he turned and walked to the end of the line. Behind him, Terry lined up with a decidedly less confident posture than Anthony had had earlier.

"Incendio," Terry said, trying to mimic Anthony's success. It didn't happen. The movement was similar to what Anthony and Professor Flitwick had done earlier, but the results spoke for themselves. The magic being evoked from the wand was held at cross purposes and muddled up, failing to manifest in the flame that had already been demonstrated twice.

"Nice try, Terry, but you need to smooth out the motion more. Remember, it's just like a Lumos charm. It's all in the wrist. Now try again," Professor Flitwick instructed.

"Incendio," Terry tried again. He once again flicked the wand up and down in the same flame-like pattern. While his actions appeared the same to Sakura, the results were far different. This time, all of the magic braided together as it projected forward before hitting the charred wood, setting it on fire once again.

The procession continued one student at a time after that. Next was Michael who took four tries to finally get it. Then Deborah, who somehow managed it on her first try. She looked as surprised as everybody else did. Then Linda, Su, and Lisa, until it was finally Sakura's turn.

"Incendio," Sakura said, flicking her wand in the same way that she had seen all of the previous students doing. Immediately she saw it was no good. The magic emitted from the wand was all tangled up and would result in nothing meaningful being done.

"Try again. It needs to be sharper and faster," Professor Flitwick said. He demonstrated the wand movement without actually saying the charm.

"Incendio," Sakura tried again, trying to move the wand sharper and faster. It still had no effect.

"No, that's not right. It's just like a Lumos charm, only with a bit of a different twist. Try it again," Professor Flitwick instructed.

Sakura decided to try to do it like a Lumos charm, despite the fact that what he was doing was nothing like that. She flicked her wand and said, "Incendio."

There was some effect, but nothing at all like what the previous students or Professor Flitwick had demonstrated before. The magic from her wand had entangled itself in an interesting way, but it dissipated without any effect that she could see.

"I said like a Lumos charm. Try it again," Professor Flitwick said.

"Hoe," Sakura lamented to herself, but tried it again. And again. And again. While she could get her wand to do various interesting things, none of them seemed to be at all productive. She could feel Padma getting impatient behind her, but she steadfastly refused to look to confirm it.

"Wait, Sakura. You're doing it all wrong. Let's try something else. Can you cast a Lumos charm for me?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Okay," Sakura said. She had confidence that she could do this. She had practiced it over the summer until she could do it every time. She twirled her wand and said, "Lumos."

As expected, the magic from the wand pulled outward from the tip of her wand and collected in front of her, forming a bright blob of magic glowing in lovely pink light. Sakura lowered her wand again, leaving the light beacon floating in mid air.

"I said a Lumos charm. What're you doing?" Professor Flitwick asked. The hint of impatience and frustration in his voice had turned into a more overt anger.

"I cast a Lumos charm, like you said," Sakura answered.

"A Lumos charm doesn't do that. It's supposed to make your wand glow, not do... whatever it is that is," Professor Flitwick disagreed, pointing at the floating glowing mass.

"The book says it's supposed to create a magical light, doesn't it? I even said Lumos? Didn't you hear me?" Sakura protested. It had taken a while for her to figure out the best way to cast the spell, and she didn't like having her efforts called into question.

"I don't know what kind of prank you think you're pulling, but I don't have time to deal with this right now. You've wasted enough class time already. Minus five points for Ravenclaw, and you have detention with me after classes today," Professor Flitwick said, clearly frustrated. "Take a seat and think about what you've done. Next."

Sakura turned and walked to the side of the classroom to take a seat. She didn't bother looking behind her. The whithering looks of disapproval from her classmates were already strong enough in her imagination. There was no reason to face them in reality.

Her foul mood at what she considered to be an unfair scolding of her properly cast charm remained as they all left Charms class to go to the Defense Against the Dark Arts room. Nobody seemed inclined to help break her of that cloud. It wasn't because they were still angry at her for losing points, even though she was sure some were, but rather because they were instead so filled with anticipation of their next class that there wasn't room for anything else. Everybody was abuzz at the prospect of having a genuine celebrity as a professor, let alone a celebrity of Professor Lockhart's caliber and reputation. It was almost as if Professor Dumbledore was teaching them, only even more exciting as Professor Lockhart was new to the student body. He had a much better smile as well.

Even Lisa and Anthony didn't seem to notice or care about Sakura's dour mood. They instead joined in the extensive chatting about Professor Lockhart, his latest exploits, and the more exciting portions of his books. Anybody who hadn't already read through all of his books did nothing to draw attention to that fact. In addition to Anthony and Lisa's chatter, Su, Deborah, and Padma had added the topics of whether Professor Lockhart was single, and what were the best ways to capture the heart of an older man.

Sakura personally didn't see what the big deal everybody was making of Professor Lockhart. Granted she wasn't nearly as negative towards him as her boyfriend had been after their meeting during the summer, but she also wasn't too interested in him or the exploits he had achieved against creatures she didn't know in places she had never heard about. Regardless, she was thankful for Professor Lockhart in an indirect way as he was incidentally responsible for her not receiving any evil eyes directed towards her during the trip from Charms class.

Based on the Defense Against the Dark Arts room, Professor Lockhart was apparently a much messier person than Professor Quirrel had been. It looked like a rhinoceros had gone rampaging through the room. A flying rhinoceros, given the number of portraits and paintings which were on the ground. They were hard to make out against the shredded books, the puddles of unidentified liquid, and the shattered glass littered throughout the room. In the middle of the maelstrom was a giant iron chandelier which had clearly fallen from the chain still hanging above it. Even the desk Professor Lockhart stood in front of was not exempt from this chaos. It too was covered with scraps of paper and liquid. In the center of the table was a large object covered with some kind of cloth.

Sakura ended up taking a seat towards the back of the classroom. The seats closer to the professor had quickly been filled by her eager classmates before she had even entered the room. Even taking her seat was something of a tricky proposition. The desks in the back were covered with shattered glass. Sakura was forced to pull out her wand and cast a quick Ventus charm to clear everything away before the desk was safe to sit at.

"As you all know, I'm Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of the Merlin, Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of 'Witch Weekly's' Most-Charming Smile Award, but I'm not here to talk about that. After all I didn't cure the Wagga Wagga Werewolf by smiling at him," Professor Lockhart said, gracing everybody with his award-winning smile. It looked a bit forced for some reason.

Professor Lockhart paused here, filling the room with silence for several seconds, waiting for something which didn't happen. It continued until it got to the point of being markedly uncomfortable, and then for several seconds longer.

Undeterred by the lack of response, Professor Lockhart continued, "I see you've all bought copies of my books. Excellent. We're going to start with a little quiz. Nothing to worry about. Just a little something to see what we're starting with."

Professor Lockhart handed out test papers to all of the students and returned to the front of the room. He then announced, "You have half an hour."

There was no further prompting so Sakura took that as a sign to start. She looked down at her paper, which caused her face to fall. It was filled with questions about Professor Lockhart.

What was his favorite color?

When was his birthday?

What his greatest accomplishment was to date?

Sakura didn't see what the questions had to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts. A couple of them were tangentially related, such as how had Professor Lockhart scared off the Bandon Banshee, but most seemed completely superfluous, such as what his secret ambition was. Despite this, like a dutiful Ravenclaw student, Sakura filled out the couple of answers she knew from her brief skim through some of his books. She used her remaining time to take some wild guesses on the ones she didn't know. Each guess felt more wild than the previous one.

Half an hour later, Professor Lockhart collected the papers and started reviewing them. He complemented Terry on his memory of Professor Lockhart's favorite color, Su on her correct identification of what world leader he saved in 1985, and Linda on correctly naming his greatest ambition. Each earned five points.

It took the professor some time before he noticed Lisa's raised hand. He was halfway through Anthony's test before he finally looked up to see her patiently waiting. He asked, "Lana, you have a question?"

Lisa looked back and forth around her, before asking, "Do you mean me, sir? My name is Lisa."

"Of course it is. What's your question," Professor Lockhart smoothly corrected himself.

"Are we going to be doing any practical work in this class?" Lisa asked.

"I'm glad you asked. I was originally planning on having a practical demonstration, but I'm afraid I overestimated the capabilities of you students. I tried it earlier with the Gryffindor class, and you can see the results all around you. That chandelier used to be on the ceiling, and we'll need to replace the windows," Professor Lockhart said, bringing explanation to the mystery of the mess all around them. "I've since thought it better to not risk it again. I don't blame you for your inadequate abilities. A poor student is a result of poor instruction. Rest assured now that I'm here, I'll do my utmost to overcome the shortcomings of my predecessor."

The covered object on the desk behind Professor Lockhart suddenly took on a more ominous meaning. Sakura had heard enough of Professor Lockhart's reputation to know that he was a high caliber wizard, so any practical demonstration he had planned was certain to be big. The fact that even under professorial supervision it had so overwhelmed Gryffindor, who were known as one of the stronger and more adventurous houses, to the point of creating the mess all around them only made it scarier.

A metallic bang behind Professor Lockhart drew everybody's attention. The professor himself spun to face the sound, turning towards the large covered object on his desk. The corner of the cover had been caught on something. From that small glimpse, it was apparent that the covered object was a large cage of some sort. Professor Lockhart quickly freed the cover and plunged whatever was in the cage into total darkness.

"And that is what caused so much terror to the Gryffindor students earlier. I'll not be showing it to you until I'm sure you can handle it," Professor Lockhart warned them all.

Sakura decided that if Professor Lockhart thought it best to not have a practical section to the class then she was more than willing to go along with his judgment.

The rest of the class was spent talking about the quiz Professor Lockhart had had them fill out earlier. He waxed poetic about his various exploits around the world. He had gotten such a head of steam going that by the time he got to Sakura's quiz, which she was sure she got mostly wrong, he took it in stride and only used it as an excuse to explain how in France he had revolutionized the way they viewed love potions.

Class came to an end with him halfway through a story of the work he had done for "the queen" in 1988. He promised to continue the story next time as Sakura and the rest of the students filed out of the room.

On the way out of the classroom, Lisa promised Sakura that she would find Syaoran and let him know that she had received detention and wouldn't be able to meet up with him until dinner. Sakura then took her leave from the other second-year Ravenclaw students and made her way to the Charms classroom to serve her detention with her house head. She still thought it was unfair.

"Welcome back, Sakura. Have you had a chance to think about what you've done wrong?" Professor Flitwick asked Sakura as she came in the room.

"I don't think I did anything wrong," Sakura protested.

"I'm very disappointed in you. I'd expect this kind of behavior from a student in Gryffindor, not somebody from my own house," Professor Flitwick said.

"But I was doing what you told me to," Sakura protested.

"I asked you to cast a Lumos charm," Professor Flitwick said.

"I did cast a Lumos charm," Sakura insisted.

"I don't know what they teach you out East, but that was not a Lumos charm," Professor Flitwick said. The amount of scolding in his voice had diminished somewhat.

"I was following the instructions in the Standard Book of Spells, and a light appeared like it said it should. That's what's supposed to happen, isn't it?" Sakura asked.

"No. Well, yes, but a Lumos charm is supposed to make the end of your wand light up. You know that. It's supposed to be like this. Lumos," Professor Flitwick demonstrated with his wand, causing the tip to start glowing brightly. "Just like we did last year. It's not supposed to be... whatever it was you did."

"If it lights up the area around you then that's all that matters, isn't it?" Sakura asked. As far as she was concerned, if something worked then it worked.

"It's going against tradition," Professor Flitwick tried to explain. "Anyway I can tell that you need some remedial work, but I don't think you were trying to act up. I'll give the five points back to Ravenclaw from earlier and we'll spend the detention practicing some of your first-year charms. Let's see if we can't break some of those bad habits you picked up over the summer."

Sakura still didn't see the point. If her charms worked properly, and they did, then why was tradition so paramount as to require remedial work? She didn't voice her consternation, though. She didn't want to get into any more trouble than she already was in.

They spent the detention practicing the various charms Sakura had learned her first year at Hogwarts over, and over, and over. Most of the time was spent practicing the Lumos charm, but they did a couple other ones like the Wingardium Leviosa charm. She really didn't like how it felt, both the close attention from Professor Flitwick as well as the way the magic in the wand kept squirming around. It just didn't feel right at all. She also didn't like the lack of results. She felt like she was back in her first-year Charms class all over again, struggling to get the charms to come out correctly.

They finished right when dinner was to begin. The circumstances weren't ideal, but before Sakura left she decided to seize the opportunity to speak with Professor Flitwick. She asked, "Excuse me, Professor Flitwick, but I had one other question."

"Yes?" Professor Flitwick answered.

"I was thinking. There are flying brooms, right? How do they work?" Sakura asked. "If I wanted to make something else fly like that, how could I do that?"

Professor Flitwick shook his head. He said, "That's... a bit ambitious. Enchantment's a pretty complicated field of magic. We don't start teaching it until sixth-year, and you'll need the appropriate O.W.L.s."

"But if I wanted to find out more? Could you help me?" Sakura persisted.

Professor Flitwick looked pained, and carefully said, "I'm glad to see you're so enthusiastic, but it'd be more productive to spend your time improving your charms first. If you can't handle the basics there's no way you'll succeed at the more advanced magics."

"I see. Thank you," Sakura said.

She could see that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere with Professor Flitwick. In his eyes, she was just the strange Eastern child who couldn't even cast a basic Lumos charm properly. If Sakura wanted to get help she would need to ask elsewhere. Possibly Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall might be more receptive, even if their subjects seemed much less related to making her skates fly. Gray Lady might be able to help as well, especially as Sakura now had a thread of something to go off of in the library. Professor Flitwick had said the word "enchantment." It wasn't much, but it was a start.

By the time Sakura arrived in the Great Hall, dinner was already half over. She was able to sneak into the room without drawing too much attention. An average dinner just wasn't as big an event as the start-of-term banquet, so a couple of people coming and going wasn't unheard of even on the first day of classes.

Sakura quickly found where her friends were sitting at the Ravenclaw table. Syaoran had saved an obvious seat next to him, which Sakura was all too willing to take. Across him sat Lisa and Anthony. Sakura had half expected that that odd girl from the train, Luna, would have been there in some fashion as well, but she was nowhere in sight.

As she took her seat, Sakura couldn't help but notice the tension at the table. Syaoran and Anthony were glaring at each other without saying anything. Both of them plus Lisa were silent.

"Hello, Sakura. You are quite late today. What happened in detention?" Lisa asked excessively casually. Even if she didn't know what was going on, Sakura could feel what Lisa was doing: trying to break the mood of the table.

Sakura was happy to go along and answered, "We spent the whole time practicing charms. Professor Flitwick said I needed some remedial work. He told me I should practice more and maybe ask one of the older students for help or something."

"Why bother. Charms class is dumb," Syaoran said.

"It's only because you're no good at it," Anthony accused, defending his favorite class.

"No, it's because it's stupid," Syaoran accused back. "Professor Flitwick had us doing these wind blowing charms. They're useless, and when I tried to show him how we did it back home he couldn't handle it."

"Of course," Anthony said, dismissively. Then in a more moderate tone to Sakura, he said, "If you ever want any help with your charms, let me know. I'd be happy to help you out."

"Thanks," Sakura answered. She wondered what was going on between Syaoran and Anthony. Between lunch earlier and the hostility being demonstrated at dinner there was clearly a disagreement of some sort going on. She tried to defuse the situation by changing the subject and saying, "The good news is that Professor Flitwick gave back the five points he took earlier."

"That does sound like good news," Lisa agreed.

"Sorry I couldn't meet up with you like we planned, Syaoran-kun," Sakura said.

"That's alright. You couldn't do much about it. I blame Professor Flitwick and his uselessness," Syaoran said. Anthony continued to scowl from across the table. "Anyway, it wasn't a total waste. I ended up talking to Professor Mizuki and guess what I found out."

The last was said in a worried tone, causing Sakura to worry in return. It couldn't have been that bad, though, or Syaoran would have told her right away, right? With only a little concern leaking through in her voice, she asked, "What?"

"Eriol's gone missing," Syaoran said quietly.

"What?" Sakura exclaimed much louder, drawing the attention of several of their neighbors.

"Who's Eriol?" Anthony asked.

"Eriol's..." Sakura started to say, but trailed off. How do you begin to describe somebody like Eriol? Powerful. Insightful. Manipulative. Benevolent. Enigmatic. "...a friend."

"Eriol is that boy you were with in Diagon Alley, correct?" Lisa asked.

"That's right," Syaoran confirmed.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"I was asking about sending some things to Hong Kong, like we were talking about, and she said that he just disappeared. The last she's heard from him was last night, after he had sent Mei-Ling home. She tried to talk to him this morning, and he was gone. Ruby and Spinel, too," Syaoran said.

"That's terrible. Shouldn't we report it or something. They might be in trouble," Sakura said.

"I asked, but Professor Mizuki didn't seem too worried. She just said that she wasn't surprised and that Eriol could handle himself," Syaoran said.

"If she says so," Sakura said. She wasn't very convinced, but she was willing to go along with Kaho's judgment on the matter. Even if she had disagreed she didn't know exactly what she could do to help. With that resolved, a more immediate problems showed itself. "Wait. But if he's gone then how are we supposed to send and receive mail?" She frequently sent letters back and forth to home, and Sakura couldn't imagine going through the year without talking to Tomoyo and the others.

"Can't you use an owl?" Anthony asked.

"That's what Professor Mizuki suggested. She said I should just give the letter to Siufui, and that it'd work itself out somehow," Syaoran said.

"What about me? Does that mean that I should be giving my mail to Kero-chan to deliver?" Sakura asked.

"I'd guess so. Maybe he can make himself useful for once," Syaoran said. He then snorted to himself and said, "It's not half as fun when he's not around to hear it."

"Should you really be teasing a," Lisa lowered her voice to finish asking, "fire-breathing lion like that?"

"You mean Kero-chan? He's harmless," Syaoran reassured her. He then got a thoughtful look and corrected himself, "Mostly harmless."

The rest of the meal passed by quickly. Sakura didn't really have a chance to really eat her fill, and she certainly didn't have the time to slow down and savor her dinner seeing how late she had arrived to the meal. Nevertheless, Sakura wouldn't be going hungry that night, even if she did want another cookie. She barely had the presence of mind to grab one for Keroberos. It sorely tempted her with its presence.

After they had exited the Great Hall they made their way to one of the disused classrooms to hold the first in what would undoubtedly be countless homework study sessions.

* * *

Last Updated: July 2, 2014


	6. Sakura and Tryouts and Invitations

Chapter 6: Sakura and Tryouts and Invitations

Syaoran may have been experiencing a whole new world for the first time, but not Sakura. Hogwarts held no surprises for her. After the year she had already spent in the Scottish school of magic, her expectations for classes and life had all been well established before even leaving Japan. Classes, meals, studying, playing. All of these matched her expectations as the days at Hogwarts slowly transformed themselves into weeks. This was for the worse as well as for the better.

Sakura had held both hope and fear for Charms class this year. Of the two feelings, fear turned out to have been the more appropriate emotion to have felt. She felt bad saying it, given the class was taught by her own head of house, but she really disliked Charms class. Increasingly so as time went on. "Just read the book." "That's the way it's always been done." "Why can't you follow instructions?" "Stop daydreaming and pay attention." "Can't you do anything the right way?"

Days with Charms class dragged by slowly.

This was in sharp contrast to days with Potions class. The fact class with Professor Snape was double normal length meant those days practically flew by. They would have lunch, then Potions, and then the day would be over. Then she would be able to meet up with Syaoran again.

Sakura reflected on these differences as she stirred the cauldron in front of her. The Pepperup Potion was modestly more complicated than the previous ones they had worked on in class. Professor Snape had emphasized that timing was especially essential in crafting it, and there was a great deal of waiting involved in its preparation. It left Sakura with plenty of time to relax and think about whatever idle thoughts crossed her mind.

The class had moved on to more complicated potions as compared to her first-year, such as Angel's Trumpet Draughts, Regerminating Potions, and the Pepperup Potion she currently had brewing in front of her. Thus far into the school year, the additional complexity of the new potions hadn't yet been a problem for Sakura. If anything, it just made her that much more interested in the field of study. She wouldn't necessarily say that Potions was her absolute single most favorite class, but if it wasn't then it was definitely one of her more favorite ones.

"Kinomoto," Professor Snape called out, catching her attention after she had dropped the last of her fairy wings into the cauldron. 

"Hoe?" Sakura exclaimed in reflex. Professor Snape rarely called her out. His addressing her caught her by surprise. For a brief moment she was reminded of how Professor Flitwick called her out all the time. Sakura then corrected herself, asking, "Yes, Professor Snape?"

"I'd like a word with you after class today," Professor Snape said.

The pit of Sakura's stomach dropped out at that declaration. That flicker of recognition had been foreboding. Professor Flitwick had asked her to stay behind after class enough times that she knew what Professor Snape's request meant. She had just messed up and would need remedial work. Again.

A quick look in the Potions textbook revealed what the problem was. Her potion was nowhere near as dark as the vermilion it should have been before adding the fairy wings to it. She had added them too early. If only she had paid more attention, she could have avoided ruining another one of her classes in the school. The only good thing was that the session was almost over so Sakura wouldn't have much time to brood over it before judgment would be upon her.

"Oooo," one of the Hufflepuff boys said mockingly. "So Sakura finally does something wrong."

"Quiet, MacMillan. Minus three points to Hufflepuff," Professor Snape snapped out.

Fair or not, the loss of points silenced the room. The short remainder of the class was spent with students finishing their Pepperup Potions and then cleaning their supplies.

On the way out, Lisa whispered a quick, "Good luck." Then all of the other students were gone and Sakura was left alone with Professor Snape.

Sakura hesitated, but there was no way out of it. The room was empty, so it wasn't like she could really hide or anything. She approached the desk at the front of the room. Professor Snape stood behind it, looking more towering and more imposing than she had ever seen him before. Sakura asked, "You wanted to see me, Professor?"

Professor Snape stared down at Sakura with a measured eye. Sakura found herself intimidated.

"Hand me your Potions textbook," Professor Snape ordered.

Sakura dutifully retrieved it and handed it over.

Professor Snape opened the book, checked the cover for something, flipped through several pages, and finally ended up opening the book to the section with the Pepperup Potion instructions. As Professor Snape did so, he asked, "Tell me, Kinomoto. Why did you mix the knotgrass with the salamander tail before you added it to the potion?"

"The instructions said to add them at the same time and I thought it would be easier if they were already together," Sakura answered. Professor Snape had emphasized how important timing was, and she had thought it would simplify things and make the potion easier to make.

"I see," Professor Snape said, continuing to carefully watch Sakura. "And what about the fairy wings. Why did you mix them with your wand?"

Had she? She couldn't remember doing that. Certainly not intentionally. She really shouldn't have been daydreaming that much. She hesitantly ventured, "I'm sorry. I don't remember."

"This is the Pepperup Potion that Jones brewed earlier," Professor Snape said, sliding a flask of amber liquid across the table towards Sakura. "Tell me. What do you make of it?"

That threw Sakura for a loop. She certainly wasn't about to cause any problems for another student. She barely looked at it before quickly answering, "It seems fine to me."

Professor Snape raised his eyes and looked down his nose at Sakura in a skeptical glare. He said, "Honestly, Kinomoto. This isn't going to hurt Jones. Tell me what you really think of it."

Sakura didn't know what Professor Snape expected of her. She hesitated more. She slowly reached out for the flask. When Professor Snape didn't object she picked it up. It felt a bit off to her, even though she couldn't exactly verbalize what it felt like.

Professor Snape continued to stare at her. Sakura felt the pressure of the room's silence continue to mount. She tried to put her vague, indescribable feelings into words.

"It feels a bit... maybe... sour?" Sakura hesitantly asked as much as said.

"Very well," Professor Snape said, snatching the potion out of Sakura's hand. "Tell me, Kinomoto. Have you ever put any thought into becoming a Potions-Mistress?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. Of the questions she had expected, that most certainly had not been one of them.

"You have a real talent. If you were to focus your studies, you could go far," Professor Snape said.

"I could? But what about the other students?" Sakura asked. She felt she did well enough in class, but others were good as well.

"Your classmates? They're worthless," Professor Snape scowled. "Less than a third of each class will qualify in their O.W.L.s for further studies, and that's in Slytherin and Ravenclaw. The dunderheads in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff will be lucky if they get even half of that."

"Why's that? Potions aren't that difficult. It's just mixing things together," Sakura said. She realized her gaff right after it left her mouth.

"That's exactly what I mean," Professor Snape said, seeming to not care that Sakura had dismissed his field of expertise. "That you think that shows exactly how lucky you are. Making potions is not just putting ingredients together. A muggle could do that. The process for brewing a Felix Felicis potion is well known, but I could only brew one if I were to have an exceptionally lucky month. The real secret of potions is in the magic. You imbue everything you make with a part of your personality, your attribute, your very essence. That's the reason only certain people can make certain potions, and why there's only ever been one person known to have successfully created a Philosopher's Stone."

If the use of magic was intrinsic to crafting potions it answered the question Sakura had had about why Tomoyo and other muggles couldn't make them even when shad had followed the same instructions step-by-step that Sakura had. It raised another one, though. She asked, "What about those potions in our book? If everybody makes potions differently then how do they work?"

"These? They're nothing more than children's toys; the most basic formula for the masses. The real secret to potions is when you start to innovate. You're already doing it. I can tell. That's why your potions come out better than everybody else's."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked again.

"You don't need to answer right now. This is a very serious decision and you're only starting your second-year. There is a long time to go yet. Just think about it. If you want to become a true Potions-Mistress, let me know and I'll arrange some private lessons with you," Professor Snape said. He then handed Sakura's textbook back to her.

Sakura's mind was whirling. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened next, although she knew she must have said something appropriate before leaving Professor Snape. The next thing she knew, she was standing in front of the door which blocked entrance into Ravenclaw Tower.

"What aspect does salamander add to a potion?" the knocker on the door asked.

Sakura shook herself out of her thoughtfulness. The question of what to do or not do in regard to Professor Snape's offer was far less pressing than the question of whether or not she could get into her dorm room in time to drop off her supplies before meeting Syaoran.

A more impartial person would have said she was dropping off her supplies in preparation for meeting Gloria. Sakura and the others were going to go watch the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts. Gloria had invited everybody interested to come. That group included Syaoran, though, and with him around it was hard for Sakura to think of the upcoming meeting as being with anybody but him.

In either case, daydreaming about Professor Snape's strange offer or her upcoming meeting with Syaoran would do nothing to get her into Ravenclaw Tower. She was sure that somebody else would either enter or leave the tower soon, but she was in a hurry and wanted to meet up with Syaoran sooner rather than later.

Salamanders was the question. Salamanders in potions. So, what potions actually used salamanders? The most obvious one was the Pepperup Potion. It was still at the forefront of Sakura's mind given the lesson she had just had. There was also the Chill-Warming Draught, which helped people who got the chills to feel better. Between those two, and the fact that Sakura knew salamanders both lived in and ate fire, the answer was obvious; they added heat or warmth to a potion.

Then again, it wouldn't do to be too hasty. She had been certain of her answer in the past and been proven to be incorrect before. Sakura thought more about what other potions she knew that used salamanders. There was Strengthening Solution, Cough Potion, Dragon Tonic, and Invigoration Draught as well. Dragon Tonic could conceivably be heat related due to a dragon breathing fire, but none of the other three fit with her theory. So what else could there be?

Sakura thought more about it, trying to tease out the commonality between all of the potions she could think of. She came to her conclusion and declared, "It adds an aspect of health to a potion."

"Well said," the knocker answered, and then opened the way for Sakura.

So the knocker was on a potions theme now. That was new. She should pass the word along to the other Ravenclaw students when she had a chance as a courtesy to the others. The new subject was a relief. She could finally stop carrying the Arithmancy reference volume around with her. As she had actually studied potions in class, she felt like she actually had a chance on her own now. That was unless it was actually on a magical creature theme, in which case she would need to replace the Arithmancy book with a magical creatures one. That would be annoying, seeing how most magical creatures tomes were either heavier or more dangerous than her Arithmancy book. She really hoped it was a potions theme.

"What do you think you're doing?" Penelope's shout could be heard clearly. It was made all the more attention grabbing by the fact that the Ravenclaw common room was as quiet as it was. It startled Sakura and made her snap her attention to the prefect. What had she done? She quickly thought back.

It was only after a few moments that she realized Penelope wasn't addressing her. Sakura, along with the other students in the room, joined in staring at the prefect yelling at a young girl.

Sakura let out a groan. She should have known. It was Luna. She had a palette in one hand, a brush in the other, and a crudely drawn rainbow on the wall in front of her.

"I think I'm drawing a rainbow," Luna said. Her voice was much more calm than the prefect's, but it still carried in the deathly still room. "What do you think I'm doing?"

Penelope didn't bother trying to answer Luna's question. Doing so always led down a rabbit hole totally tangential to the topic at hand. Instead she asked, "And just why do you think you're drawing a rainbow?"

"Well, there's the red out here, and then the orange inside of it, and then the yellow..." Luna said, pointing to each band of color as she did so.

"No!" Penelope shouted, cutting the girl off. "I mean why are you drawing a rainbow?"

"This room's too boring. There's just a lot of blue and gray. I thought it could use more color," Luna answered. Her eyes only briefly looked at Penelope before turning back to the wall in front of her.

"The room is supposed to be blue and gray; that's Ravenclaw's colors!" Penelope shouted, clearly both frustrated and angry.

"I see. I thought they'd just run out of the other ones," Luna said. She then turned back to her palette and asked, "What do you think? More red?"

"No!" Penelope continued to shout. In the past three weeks, Luna had caused more shouting in Ravenclaw Tower than the entire previous year in total. "No more painting. You're going to put your paint away and then clean up this mess you made."

"Okay," Luna said. She seemed to be entirely unfazed in the least by the girl yelling right next to her. She put her palette and paintbrush down, turned, and started walking towards Sakura.

"I meant clean this up right now!" Penelope shouted at Luna's back.

"Right now? Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Luna asked. She turned back to her painting supplies and the picture she had drawn on the wall.

Sakura quickly went to her dorm room while this confrontation was ongoing. She was tempted to gawk and find out how this latest incident with Luna would be resolved, but she was on a timetable. Once at her desk, it was a quick thing for Sakura to drop off all of her textbooks. She wouldn't need any of them for the rest of the day.

A quick glance around the room didn't reveal Keroberos's presence, and Sakura could feel that he was out on the Hogwarts grounds somewhere not too close but not too distant either. He had probably gotten bored from always waiting in the Ravenclaw dormitories. Sakura didn't really like him wandering around on his own, but she honestly couldn't expect him to just sit on her bed all day while she went to classes. If she needed him, she would also be able to find him without too much difficulty.

Well it would be his own fault if he missed the Quidditch tryouts. He always enjoyed the sport far more than Sakura herself did, and she was sure he would regret his decision to go flying off to somewhere in the forest, assuming Sakura's feelings were correct, rather than stick around and wait for classes to finish.

Sakura double-checked that she had everything she wanted. Then, having second thoughts, she picked up up her Arithmancy tome again, just in case, and grabbed an encyclopedia of magical creatures to add to it. She considered adding her potions book to the stack as well, but she had enough books already and could probably fudge her way through another potions question if she needed to.

Once she had stocked everything, Sakura returned to the common room and headed for the exit to Ravenclaw Tower. In the silence of the common room, it was easy to hear Luna ask, "You said to get rid of the paint, didn't you?"

"I meant to get rid of your paint, not all of the paint!" Penelope screamed at the young girl.

That piqued Sakura's attention. Despite herself she stopped and looked at the scene. Luna's paintbrush and palette had disappeared. The girl instead had a wand in her hand. She was innocently facing the prefect, standing right beside the white wall.

White wall?

Sakura took another look. Indeed, where previously there had been a childishly-drawn rainbow there was now a rainbow-shaped white section on the wall.

Luna stared at the absence of decoration she had made for a second. She slowly said, "I see what you mean. Kruzals would be attracted to that, I suppose." Luna then raised her wand.

Sakura quickly dodged out of Ravenclaw Tower. She just knew that nothing good could come of this. Another shout by Penelope, audible even through the door as it closed behind her, suggested that she had been right.

After a quick trip through a hidden passage Sakura had found in the past with the others, Sakura found herself in the Great Hall. It was the place everybody had agreed to meet. It wasn't the exact center of the four dorms, and it wasn't the strictly speaking the closest place for any of them; but given the dispersed nature of the four houses it was a central enough and it had plenty of room for them to congregate while waiting for everybody to arrive.

Syaoran and Gloria were already waiting in the Great Hall when Sakura arrived. Syaoran must have been as eager as Sakura to meet up considering his early arrival, whereas Gloria was the one for whom this meeting was taking place. She had a large broom propped up against the table next to where she sat. Sakura didn't hesitate in the slightest before joining them there.

It didn't take a master of divination to figure out what they were talking about. Gloria still maintained her one-track mind for Quidditch, and ever since Syaoran had first taken to the skies on a broom it had been all he had wanted to talk about as well.

"And the broom won't fall down or anything?" Syaoran asked Gloria as Sakura took a seat next to him.

"Of course not, but you need to make sure you have a good grip. They played the All-Africa Cup in the middle of a hurricane back in 1961, and the..." Gloria said before she cut herself off. "Oh, hello Sakura."

"Hello, Gloria. Hello, Syaoran-kun," Sakura greeted the pair. "I just had the strangest conversation."

"Really? What was it?" Gloria asked.

"Was Flitwick causing problems again?" Syaoran asked. "That little dwarf's such a pain."

"He's half-goblin, not half-dwarf," Gloria corrected Syaoran, "and I don't see the problem you and Sakura have with him. He's a pretty decent professor."

"My problem with him is that he's always yelling at me, even when I'm the first person in the class to float that feather," Syaoran said. "What happened? Did he give you detention again?"

"Not this time," Sakura answered. Ever since that first detention on that first day of school, Sakura's head of house hadn't given her another one. He hadn't docked any points from Ravenclaw, either. He had restricted himself to just strongly encouraging Sakura to continue to practice her charms, for all the good it did. "It was actually Professor Snape this time."

An angry look crossed Gloria's face at the mention of the head of Slytherin. She asked, "What'd that greasy git do this time?"

"He's my head of house, not some greasy git, and I don't see the problem you have with him. He's a pretty decent professor," Syaoran said to Gloria, mimicking her words from earlier.

"He didn't do anything. I mean nothing bad," Sakura said. "He invited me to do have some private Potions lessons with him."

"You mean like Flitwick always asks me to do private Charms lessons?" Syaoran asked. "How's that not bad?"

"He said that he thought that I was better than everybody else and that he wanted to help me get even better. Something about some owls or something," Sakura said.

"And you're seriously considering it?" Gloria asked.

"I'm not sure," Sakura admitted.

"Well better you than me. I still don't see how you can stand the guy. I wouldn't spend any more time with him than absolutely necessary," Gloria said.

"I still don't get why you're always so negative about him. He's better than Flitwick by a long shot," Syaoran said.

"Only because he's the most..." Gloria started saying, before cutting herself off again when Lisa and Wayne took a seat as well. "Oh, hey there. We were just talking about Snape."

"I could tell," Lisa said. "I swear your dislike of him is most irrational."

"It's not just me," Gloria protested. "Everybody in Gryffindor agrees."

Wayne shrugged, staying out of the conversation.

"Anthony told me he had to look something up for that Herbology homework we have so I think we are all here," Lisa said, trying to stop that old argument before it flared up again.

"Are you nervous for the tryout?" Sakura asked as all five of them got to their feet and Gloria picked up her broom. She held on to Syaoran's hand as they walked outside.

"A little," Gloria admitted as they started walking to the Quidditch pitch where the tryouts were being held. "What about you four? Why aren't any of you trying out for your teams?"

"Quidditch isn't really my thing," Sakura answered first. She still got apprehensive every time she got onto a broom. She had been careful and had never had a broom explode under her since that first time she had tried to fly using one, but it was hard to just forget an experience with that.

"It would take far too much time from my studying," Lisa said agreed, holding Wayne's hand.

"Ravenclaws," Gloria said muttered. She turned to the two boys and asked, "What about you two?"

"Don't look at me. I'd love to try out, but first-year, remember?" Syaoran said.

"I'm scared of the Bludgers," Wayne openly admitted.

"The Bludgers? How can you be scared of the Bludgers? People almost never get any serious permanent injuries from them," Gloria said dismissively, completely oblivious to three pairs of eyes staring at her incredulously.

"So, what are the tryouts like? Is there going to be a test of some kind?" Sakura asked.

"No idea," Gloria admitted. "I assume they'll be some trials like throwing the Quaffle into the hoops or something, seeing how I'm trying out for a Chaser position."

"Is anybody else trying out?" Wayne asked.

"Oh, of course. Let's see. There's Seamus, and Neil, and Fay," Gloria said. She was looking up in the air and counting off against her fingers. "There's also Kellah, and David, and Bern, and Iain. That's just the people I know for sure."

"Wow. That's a lot of people," Sakura said, duly impressed. So many people trying out for so few positions, most of which would already be filled by the previous year's players.

"No kidding. I wish I was in Ravenclaw or something. It'd be so much easier to get on the team," Gloria commented.

When they got to the pitch it was clear that Gloria had not been exaggerating the amount of interest in Gryffindor in the least. It seemed like a quarter of the entire house was milling around on the pitch, every one of them carrying a broom of some sort.

Sakura noticed something odd as they approached. As they drew near, all of the nervous and amiable murmuring quieted down, leaving a circle of silence all around them. More and more people were staring at their small group, and at Syaoran in particular. Many of the looks they were receiving were downright hostile.

Eventually one of the Gryffindor boys, somebody Sakura didn't recognize, walked up to them. He stood right in front of Syaoran and challenged, "Where do you think you're going?"

Not one to be intimidated, even by a boy who stood a full head taller than him, Syaoran let go of Sakura's hand and stood up to the boy. He declared, "I'm here to watch the tryouts. Got a problem with that?"

The older boy answered, "And who invited you, snake?"

"Back off, Barry. Syaoran's with me," Gloria declared, firmly but not quite as openly hostile as the boy.

"Gloria. I should have known. Back in my time, we knew where our house loyalties were," the boy, apparently named Barry, said.

As if by magic, the lanky form of Oliver appeared next to the three of them. He said in an amiable voice loud enough to be heard all around, "Easy there, Bazza. It's not the boy's fault he's got good taste in Quidditch teams."

For a second Sakura thought Barry might push on despite what Oliver said. Ultimately he yielded to the Quidditch team captain. Barry snorted and walked away, pushing through the crowd which had gathered around. He vanished into the throng of people surrounding them. Bereft of the show, the crowd dispersed back to its semi-random small groupings again.

Once Barry was out of sight, Oliver turned to Gloria and said, "Good to see you out here, Gloria."

"Oh, you know me," Gloria said back casually. She then turned to the others in her group and introduced, "This is Oliver, the captain of the Gryffindor team. These are my friends, Lisa, Wayne, Syaoran, and Sakura."

"Sakura. I remember you. You're that Ravenclaw Gloria's always dragging to those games, right?" Oliver asked.

"Right. I hope it won't be a problem with us watching," Sakura answered. The scene from before might be over, but the confrontation had still managed to shake her up.

"Nah. Any friend of Gloria's all right in my books. Stay out of the way and you'll be fine. If anybody causes you any problems, you just let me know," Oliver reassured Sakura. "Anyway, we should get this thing started."

"Everybody, we'll be starting the tryouts now!" Oliver shouted, addressing all of the assembled students.

"If you are interested in trying out to be a Chaser, follow Angelina!" Oliver shouted. On cue a girl with her hair tied back raised her broom and waived it, ensuring everybody saw her.

"Beaters, follow George!" Oliver continued. Both of the Weasley twins mimicked Angelina's broom waiving, and then split up and moved to separate areas of the Quidditch pitch.

Ignoring the twin's antics, Oliver continued, "Keepers and Seekers, follow me and Harry!"

The boy with the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead was standing next to Oliver. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere other than where he actually was. He was just as scrawny as ever. If it hadn't been for Gloria's insistence that he was a prodigy of a Seeker, and the fact that he had been the center of all of the events surrounding the Philosopher's Stone the previous year, Sakura could have mistaken him as just any other ordinary boy. An ordinary boy which gave her a weird feeling whenever he was near.

"Oh, I guess that's me then. Wish me luck," Gloria said, and then separated herself from the others to follow Angelina.

"Friendly house," Syaoran said sarcastically. He spoke in a low enough voice that only the three people around him could hear.

"I don't know what that was all about. They've never been that bad to me before," Sakura said. There were a couple of odd looks at times, but she had never experienced such outright hostility.

"They have never been so rude to me, either," Lisa chimed in.

"Me either," Wayne agreed.

"Whatever. Anyway these tryouts will probably take a while. Let's find a seat," Syaoran suggested.

Sakura, Syaoran, Lisa, and Wayne took seats in one of the spectator stands, as near as possible to the goalposts where the throng of would-be Chasers were gathered. They made themselves comfortable for what promised to be a long event.

The Chaser tryouts turned out to be a random mix of tests. They had to fly around the pitch and catch a Quaffle passed towards them from a variety directions and speeds, throw a Quaffle into the goalposts at various distances and heights, dodge a Bludger which was set upon them, and both chase and try to evade the other students for a period of time.

The flying wasn't as impressive as the actual Quidditch games Sakura had seen in the past. However they were still interesting enough to watch, and interesting enough that Syaoran kept saying things like, "When do I get to learn that?" and "I want to do that."

Sakura still preferred using The Fly to literally fly on her own two wings. Her first experiences on the broom had been painfully short and she had never forgotten them. Despite that she could appreciate how much Syaoran enjoyed his initial classes in flying on a broom. Judging by how much the current first-year students raved about it, Sakura suspected that the hesitation felt by the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff classes of her year were more the exception than the rule.

Gloria's efforts at the tryout had mixed results. She never outright dropped the Quaffle, unlike most of the others. In Sakura's inexpert judgment it looked like Gloria was able to both chase and evade her fellow competitors better than the others. Gloria also was at least average at throwing the Quaffle into the goal posts, if not a bit above average. On the other hand, Gloria did almost fall off of her broom while evading a Bludger. She narrowly avoided the projectile, but she had lost her grip and had ended up hanging by a single hand. That had given Sakura quite a panic, and her hand clutched at the Key in case an emergency interdiction was necessary. However Gloria had managed to recover herself before the Bludger swung around to finish the job.

Despite Gloria's near disastrous foibles, Sakura and the others congratulated her on her performance when they met up after the tryouts were over. In turn, Gloria seemed rather enthusiastic with her performance and was optimistic with how the results would turn out when they were announced in a few days.

The sun was low in the sky, but it still provided plenty of light as they walked back to Hogwarts Castle. The fact that tryouts were being done so early in the year was a good thing. The days were starting to get shorter but even after the long tryouts there was still plenty of time for them to return to the castle before night fell. It made for a picturesque scene as Sakura walked with her friends back from the Quidditch pitch to Hogwarts castle proper. Sakura once again walked hand-in-hand with Syaoran. The warm glow of companionship surrounded her.

The tryouts had taken right up until dinnertime. The fact that there was just barely enough time to go to Gryffindor Tower to drop off their brooms and return ensured that there would be several smelly Gryffindor students for dinner. Ravenclaw had had to undergo a similar trial two days ago, and undoubtedly the other two houses would need to suffer through the same thing in the coming week.

None of this was a problem for Sakura. The only things she had on her person were her ever-present cards, the Key, and a couple of reference books for the Ravenclaw knocker. She had no need to drop any of those off at the dorms. Likewise, none of the other spectators had any reason to return to their dorms, so Sakura got to squeeze in another couple of minutes with Syaoran as they made their way to the Great Hall along with Lisa and Wayne. Partway there, they bid Gloria a quick farewell as she dashed away to Gryffindor Tower.

Even with their casual walking speed, Sakura and the others were still a bit early for dinner. The room was basically empty, and they had their choice of where they wanted to sit. With the current count of people being two Ravenclaws, one Hufflepuff, and one Slytherin, it was an easy decision. By unspoken consensus, the four of them walked to a section near the end of the Ravenclaw table and sat. Syaoran took his seat next to Sakura and Lisa sat next to Wayne.

They were still talking about Gloria's tryouts, which primarily entailed Syaoran raving about the flying with the others throwing in only occasional comments, as the room filled up with the other students eager for their evening meal. Sakura just sat there, enjoying listening to her boyfriend talk. She barely even noticed anything else until Anthony took a seat on the other side of her.

"Hey, Sakura, how were the tryouts?" Anthony asked.

"Very interesting," Sakura answered. "Gloria did really well."

"I'm sorry I missed it," Anthony said to Sakura.

"How was your studying? Did you find what you were looking for?" Lisa asked.

As they spoke, the Hogwarts house elves quickly placed dinner plates on the table. Syaoran paid close attention to the small creatures, but nobody else really paid them any heed beyond the extent needed to move slightly to the left or to the right to get out of their way when necessary. Even Sakura had become inured over the previous year to their presence, and the small army deftly arranging dinner was utterly unremarkable to her.

"It was fine. Nothing too special. Another year, more studying, same as always," Anthony said half-resigned.

"I agree. I need to do more Charms practice later," Sakura said. She got a sour look on her face at that thought. She really agreed with Syaoran about Professor Flitwick being entirely too strict.

"I can help you with that," Anthony said. He had a slight tick of hesitation and nervousness in his voice. He added, "With your Charms practice later, I mean."

"That's a really good idea. You always were good at Charms," Sakura said, causing Anthony to noticeably brighten. "Syaoran-kun, do you want to come too? We can make it a group session."

Anthony's face fell, ending up darker than it had started.

"Sure, I guess. Professor Flitwick's been giving me a hard time," Syaoran said.

"I meant... never mind," Anthony said. He looked disappointed for some reason.

"Can I come too? My Charms could use some assistance as well," Lisa asked.

"Sure. How about you, Wayne?" Sakura asked.

"Nah, my Charms are fine. I need to do more Astronomy work. Always Astronomy work," Wayne said with a sigh.

"It's suspicious that we can only see the stars at night, isn't it?" Luna's voice chimed in, sounding her uninvited arrival in their group. She was sitting on the other side of Syaoran and spoke in a voice loud enough to be heard by the whole group despite her distance.

"What's so suspicious about that? It's just the sun blocking them out, isn't it?" Wayne asked back.

"So you're thinking corruption. Is that why we need to watch them all the time?" Luna asked. "Do you think they're in league with the aurors?"

"What?" Wayne and Lisa asked in chorus.

"What're you doing here, anyway?" Anthony asked. "Shouldn't you be with the other first-years?"

"They're boring. There's one girl, but she wasn't really all herself. It's much more interesting here. Like Sakura and Syaoran. They have an entirely different type of magic, you know," Luna said, still in her prominent voice. There wasn't anything particularly rude or incorrect about how she was speaking, but something about the tenor of her voice or the volume she spoke at or something else made it stand out and feel subtly inappropriate.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked nervously. She regretted it almost immediately.

"It's pretty obvious," Luna firmly declared without explaining. "What are you two up to? Are you going to banish all the ghosts in the castle? Is that why Peeves is so scared of you, Sakura?"

Yet another surprise declaration from the girl full of surprises. Sakura had no idea how Luna had figured that out. It had only been three weeks since the term had started, and several older students who had been around for months since Sakura's encounter with Peeves the previous term and not yet noticed that connection.

Sakura quickly looked around, seeing if anybody had taken notice of what Luna had said. She wanted to keep that particular escapade a secret. If people made that connection and started investigating Peeves's aversion to Sakura, keeping it a secret could quickly become rather difficult. Fortunately, though, it seemed like nobody took any notice of Luna's declaration.

It appeared like nobody had heard Luna. Or people had heard her but had paid her no attention. After only a couple of weeks of talk of wrackspurts, conspiracies, and the various weird ideas that the girl was becoming known for, dismissing Luna was rapidly becoming second nature to everybody within Ravenclaw.

Her secret was safe for now, although if Luna continued making her chance comments, Sakura wasn't sure how long that situation would last.

* * *

Hogwarts Castle was immense by the standards of Tokyo, which meant it was perfect in that there were numerous disused classrooms, nooks, and crannies in which students could find space to practice whatever magical endeavors they sought to improve. The particular room that Sakura, Syaoran, Anthony, Lisa, and the newly joined Gloria and Keroberos selected for this round of charms practice was an old and somewhat disheveled classroom in the basement of the castle.

They had managed to lose Luna along the way. She had continued to follow them after the hectic shuffling after dinner had ended, but as the group had been walking through the hallways Luna had announced that she thought she had seen a Blibbering Humdinger and had veered off into one of the rooms they had passed by.

Nobody else in the group even knew what a Blibbering Humdinger was. Nobody else wanted to find out.

Once they were in the classroom, Sakura quickly chanted from memory in Japanese, "Key which hides the powers of stars, show your true power before me. Under the contract, Sakura commands you. Release!"

Fed by the magic within Sakura, the Key grew from a small charm into a larger form. Once it reached size, out of habit she flipped it and swung it down towards the ground with a flourish that would have met with Tomoyo's approval.

"What did you summon that for, Sakura? I thought that we were going to be practicing our charms," Lisa asked her.

"I am, with this," Sakura explained.

"That works?" Syaoran asked. "I thought that Eastern and Western magic don't mix like that."

"Of course you can," Keroberos scoffed at Syaoran, causing him to bristle a bit. "You don't even need a wand to cast charms. The wand just makes it not take much of the caster's power."

"Are you quite sure?" Lisa asked. "Little children can do accidental magic, but it is not like they can intentionally cast magic without a wand."

"Of course I'm sure. All a wand does is give another source of power. It's not like you really need a it or anything else at all if you're strong enough," Keroberos said with confidence.

"How does that even work?" Anthony asked.

"It... it just does," Keroberos said, much more hesitantly than before.

"Are you sure about that? I've never heard of that before," Gloria said.

"If Kero-chan says it's possible then it's possible," Sakura supported Keroberos. Still, she wondered how that topic had never come up before. Now she was curious as to what, if anything, she could do on her own unaided. She certainly wasn't going to try in front of an audience for the first time, though.

"Why are you using the Key then instead of using your wand?" Syaoran asked.

"It's easier to use," Sakura said. "I figured it out over the summer. It's a lot easier to feel the charms when I use it."

"Oh, it is?" Gloria asked. "Can I try?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She was a bit hesitant, but she couldn't think of a good reason not to. It wasn't like it was one of the cards she kept in her pocket. The Key didn't have a history of acting up. Besides, she would be right there in case anything went wrong. "I guess so."

Sakura held out the Key to Gloria and let the girl take hold of the handle. When Sakura let go of it, the Key shrank back into its smaller form.

"Hey. What happened?" Gloria asked.

"The Key changes form to channel more or less magic through it. You don't have enough magic in you to support it," Keroberos said, nodding twice to himself.

"Are you certain? Sakura always say something quite long whenever she makes the Key expand. Might it be related to that?" Lisa asked.

"It won't do any good," Keroberos said half-heartedly.

"Still, worth a shot. No reason not to. What is that you say all the time, anyway?" asked Anthony.

"Oh, in English too. I don't think I could repeat all of that in Japanese," Gloria added.

"Hoe..." Sakura said thoughtfully. She had said her ritual chant so frequently that it had lost all meaning to her, becoming merely a sequence of words she automatically spoke. She had to actually repeat the words in her head to figure out what she had been saying.

"Key which hides the power of the stars, reveal your true power to me. Under the contract, I command you. Release," Sakura said in the best translation she could come up with on the fly.

Gloria repeated her words, more or less. Despite them the Key remained inert in her hand.

"Are you sure that's the right thing to say?" Gloria asked. She handed the small Key back to Sakura.

"I think so," Sakura said.

"Maybe it doesn't work in English. Why don't you try it in English and see what happens?" Syaoran suggested.

"Okay, Syaoran-kun," Sakura said. She repeated her words yet again in English, and literally like magic the Key grew within her hand just as easily as if she had said the chant in Japanese.

"Can I try?" Anthony asked.

"Sure," Sakura said. She handed the key over. Once it left Sakura's possession, the Key once again shrank in size just like it had for Gloria.

"What is that about a contract?" Lisa asked as Anthony tried his hand at making the Key expand. He had no more luck than Gloria had had. "Magical contracts can be quite serious things."

"It had more to do with the cards than the Key. It's a long story," Keroberos said.

"A very long story," Sakura agreed.

"A very, very long story," Syaoran agreed, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter for any of this," Keroberos finished.

"If you are quite certain," Lisa hesitantly said.

"Do you want to give it a try?" Anthony asked Lisa. He held the Key out to her.

"No, no, that is quite alright," Lisa said quickly, shaking one of her hands to ward the Key away and taking a small step back.

As Anthony handed the Key back to Sakura, Gloria asked, "Oh, what about Syaoran? Can he make the Key get all big then too?"

"That squirt? He'd be lucky if the Key didn't shrink even more in his hands," Keroberos taunted the boy.

"Pfft..." Syaoran scoffed. "Yeah, right. I can handle it no problem. I heard it wasn't too different than my sword."

Syaoran put words into action and pulled out a small orb from his pocket. Sakura and Keroberos had seen it countless times before. Lisa, who hadn't been there for the incident on the train, watched carefully as he let the orb drop from his hand, whereupon he held it by a loop of string. Thereupon the string magically lengthened, a sword appearing at the other end of the orb in Syaoran's hand. At that point he let go of the string to let the orb fall and hang from the hilt of the now fully-formed jian in his hand.

All of the British students took a step back from the impressive looking blade.

"Do you actually know how to use that thing?" Anthony asked.

"Of course I do," Syaoran said.

"Syaoran-kun's a really good swordsman," Sakura agreed. Not only had he been able agile enough to avoid the expert marksmanship of The Shot, he had managed to save Sakura that time when The Sword had possessed Rika. He had then been confident enough to face Rika afterward, despite the fact that The Sword turned its wielder into a master swordsman. That Sakura had actually stopped him from fighting Rika was beside the point.

"That was far quieter than what Sakura does. Is it really the same thing?" Lisa asked.

"Why don't you try using her Key thingy then, or Sakura use your sword," Gloria suggested.

"Do you want to try it, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked. For some reason the idea of switching tools had never come up in the past. She looked at Syaoran.

"I don't see the point, but if you want to we can," Syaoran said.

Sakura had to admit to being at least slightly curious about Syaoran's jian, as well as to whether or not he could really use the Key. She said, "Sure, let's try."

Syaoran let his jian revert to its orb form and the two exchanged items. Then, without any ceremony or fanfare, the Key expanded to size within his hand.

"How did you do that?" Anthony asked.

"I already told you. The same way I did with my jian," Syaoran answered.

"But you didn't chant or flip it or anything like Sakura does," Gloria explained.

"I didn't really see the point," Syaoran said casually.

The three British students turned to look at Sakura questioningly.

"It's more habit. My best friend likes the ceremony when she videotapes it, and it doesn't really feel right if I don't do it anymore. See?" Sakura nervously answered the unspoken question.

Sakura still mentally went through the same chant in her head out of habit as she focused on the orb held in her hand. It felt very much like the Key did as it expanded in size. Unlike when Syaoran had formed the jian, the sword appeared pointing downward, hanging by the string which connected it to the orb Sakura was holding. In fact, the point of the sword was close to one of her feet. Syaoran quickly reached over and grabbed the sword by its handle.

"Careful," Syaoran said. "It's sharp."

"Hoe," Sakura exclaimed. She let go of the orb and let Syaoran take firm possession of the sword. In turn she turn took the Key back from him. The tools might be similar, but Sakura decidedly liked the nice, safe Key far more than the dangerously sharp sword. That was what Clow had intended when he had fashioned the Key way back when, of course. It was such a nice shade of pink, too.

"Okay, enough of that. We were going to practice some charms, right?" Anthony asked. He looked annoyed for some reason.

"What should we practice first?" Sakura asked.

"I would think the Incendio charm would be most appropriate, although that is a second-year charm so I do not know if that would be good for Syaoran," Lisa said.

"It's fine. It's got to be more interesting than that Ventus charm. I've been doing wind since I've was six. What's the Incendio charm do?" Syaoran asked.

"It lights things on fire," Anthony said like it was obvious common knowledge.

"Right..." Syaoran said. With a sigh he said, "Well, why not? So how does it work?"

"It's pretty similar to a Lumos charm. You just need to twist the wand a bit differently and say 'Incendio' instead of 'Lumos,'" Gloria said.

"Okay. Then what's a Lumos charm and how do I cast it?" Syaoran asked.

"Great..." Anthony said with a drawl.

"I can show you how to cast a Lumos charm. I have that one figured out already," Sakura said.

"You had best not teach him. He may end up casting it strangely like you do," Lisa said. "It may be better if Anthony demonstrated the charm. He is the best charms caster of us here."

"Strangely?" Gloria asked.

"She created some glowing, floaty, blocky thing in class," Anthony clarified for Gloria. He was obviously beaming from Lisa's off-hand complement. "Actually, maybe you should practice it too, Sakura. Here. To cast a Lumos charm, you need to hold you wand like this. Now you flick it like this, and say 'Lumos.'"

The end of Anthony's wand started to glow brightly as he finished the loop with his wand and finished saying the word.

Sakura and Syaoran both followed suit, following the motions and chants that Anthony had demonstrated moments earlier. The only difference was instead of using their wands, Sakura used the Key, and Syaoran used his jian.

As Sakura did so she could feel the currents of her power shaping up. It felt so much cleaner and clearer than when she used her wand, which made her feel like she was trying to sew while wearing oven mitts or something. She could feel how the turn of the Key along with the spoken chant twisted and connected her flows of magic into a particular shape which they didn't quite want to follow. The tip of the Key started glowing, making the star on its end appear similar to the celestial bodies it was supposed to represent. As it did so, she once again felt the feeling of slight wrongness that she had felt during her practice in the summer. It had been that sense of wrongness, and trying to correct it, that had resulted in her creating her version of the Lumos charm that Professor Flitwick had criticized at the start of classes.

Syaoran's effort, on the other hand, seemed to have no effect. No visible effect. Sakura could feel some amount of power coming from him, and in particular from his sword, but the bright light characteristic of a Lumos charm refused to appear.

Anthony suggested that Syaoran and Sakura switch to using their wands at that point as he didn't think he could help very much with what they were doing. Gloria and Lisa were quick to nod in agreement with his suggestion. Sakura didn't protest the idea either. As much as she trusted Syaoran, having him wave his jian around in their near vicinity was more than slightly intimidating.

Sakura, Gloria, and Anthony then went back to their original plan of practicing their Incendio charms while Syaoran tried to get the end of his wand to glow with a Lumos charm. Sakura felt a bit bad that Syaoran was being left out, but he said he didn't mind finally learning a charm which he couldn't already do a better version of.

The rest of the practice session went by quickly. It was far from the most productive session ever, even with Keroberos occasionally chiming in with his usual inscrutable yet somehow surprisingly useful advice. Then again, it was far from the least productive practice session either. Throughout the session, Sakura was tempted to use the Key to see what she could figure out about the Incendio charm on her own, but she stuck to using her wand for the entire session. She could experiment with the Key some other time when she was alone or with Syaoran only.

* * *

Last Updated: July 4, 2014


	7. Sakura and the Secrets of the Past

Chapter 7: Sakura and the Secrets of the Past

Breakfast was a rather ordinary affair. As usual, the room was mostly empty. The first-year students still outnumbered all of their more senior schoolmates, but their numbers were quickly dropping as the school year went on. The early Halloween decorations which had started to line the walls in preparation for the coming week did nothing to change that trend. The Great Hall was only sparsely populated by the few early-risers and by the even fewer students who prioritized breakfast over another few minutes of sleep.

For her part, Sakura viewed breakfast as a chance to spend more time with Syaoran. This turned her both into an early-riser as well as into somebody who ranked breakfast as more important than sleep, although both were more indirect byproducts of that fact.

Syaoran was sitting with Sakura at the Ravenclaw table. She occasionally ate with Syaoran at the Slytherin table when he managed to arrive at the Great Hall before she did, but she did prefer the Ravenclaw table. It could have just been some petty house pride, but she found that she didn't much care for some of the students in Slytherin. Just a few. Still, it was easier to just sit at the Ravenclaw table and not have to worry about it.

Then again, Sakura didn't fully care for all of her fellow students in Ravenclaw either. In particular, Luna still bothered her. She didn't dislike the girl as such, but Luna was just so weird. Whenever Sakura ended up speaking with her, she couldn't help but feel that she was on a different page than the loony first-year girl with the protuberant eyes.

"The muggles summoned a burning rope against the Floppergump outbreaks."

A different page from an entirely different book at times.

Luna was reading from her morning copy of the Quibbler. She held it right-side up this time. Sometimes Luna read it one way and sometimes another. Sakura couldn't figure out why she switched back and forth, and she was too scared to ask. After all, Luna might try to explain.

While Sakura couldn't see the specific article Luna was referring to, the front cover of the Quibbler showed some picture of some witch doing her best to preserve her modesty despite being upside-down, which was also odd seeing how Luna was holding of the newspaper right-side up this time. The only conclusion Sakura could reach was that the picture itself had been taken with the witch not entirely in a vertical position, although it didn't do to make too many inferences about the content of The Quibbler. Undoubtedly the article itself would explain things, if Sakura could and would read it.

Instead Sakura, Syaoran, and Lisa did what they unusually did and gave only perfunctory acknowledgment that Luna had said something. They instead mostly ignored the girl. They hoped that she would eventually get the hint and leave them alone, even though a month of this treatment hadn't yet yielded any results. Luna still sought them, or more specifically Sakura and Syaoran, out all the time. Even the hope that Luna would find some friends in her own year and leave them alone seemed scuppered. Many of the first-years had started calling her "Loony Lovegood" and that trend was only on the rise.

Sakura and the others refused to go that far, even if that nickname had started spreading to the older students. It had started spreading for good reason.

"I'm going to seriously hurt that Malfoy brat one of these days," Syaoran continued to rant, ignoring the occasional comments Luna said about whatever item of the day was on the Quibbler.

"Do you mean Draco?" Lisa asked.

"What'd he do this time?" Sakura asked. Syaoran complained about different housemates from time to time, but Draco was the most prominent of his annoyances.

"You mean what hasn't he done? He's a prat. Seriously. He thinks I should stop seeing you because of some silly 'blood purity' thing. He says it's 'unbecoming of a Slytherin.' I swear I'm going to show him exactly where he can shove his precious bloodline if he doesn't stop soon," Syaoran said.

"Are you sure he said that? Maybe you misunderstood something," Sakura suggested.

"I don't see how I could be misunderstanding. He brings it up every chance he gets. He keeps calling you a 'mudblood,' whatever that means," Syaoran said.

Lisa gasped. The word obviously meant something to her.

"What's a 'mudblood?'" Sakura asked.

"Technically it is somebody who does not have two magical parents, but it is a rather nasty thing to call a person," Lisa said.

"Is it really that big a deal who your parents are?" Sakura asked.

"Only to some people. Honestly, this Draco Malfoy sounds like quite an unsavory person," Lisa said.

"You're telling me. You're just lucky you don't have to be in the same house as him," Syaoran agreed. "That reminds me, do any of you know anything about some famous wizard named 'Merlin' or something? I tried asking around in Slytherin, but Terence started laughing at me about being an ignorant colonialist. As if he's ever heard anything about Yang."

"Merlin?" Sakura asked. "Is this for History of Magic?"

"Yeah. How does Binns even read these scrolls we write, anyway?" Syaoran asked.

"Professor Binns is a poltergeist who's afraid of being associated with Peeves, so he's passing as a ghost to avoid any discrimination," Luna chimed in, startling Sakura. She had forgotten that Luna was still there. Luna was now staring at the group over the top of her folded copy of the Quibbler. The picture of the witch featured on the front page looked to be relieved at her new position.

"That explains it. That must be how he does it," Lisa said with a completely straight face.

"That explains what?" Gloria asked. She took a seat next to Syaoran and helped herself to a scone. Her presence at the Ravenclaw table was so common as to now be utterly unremarked upon, even when the Gryffindor table wasn't half-empty for breakfast.

"Apparently Luna thinks that Professor Binns is afraid of discrimination and is really a poltergeist," Sakura said halfheartedly.

"I see," Gloria said without much reaction. Much like the other three, Gloria had learned to take Luna's speculations with more than a grain of salt.

"Come on. We were talking about Merlin, not Binns. It's not like I'll be able to write my report on the professor," Syaoran said, protesting the derailment of his request for help.

Sakura could sympathize with her boyfriend. She had been in a very similar situation the previous year. She suggested, "Have you tried asking Grey Lady?"

"You mean that ghost that's always in the library?" Syaoran asked.

"Yes," Sakura confirmed.

"Why would I ask her?" Syaoran asked.

"She's very nice. She helped me with that report last year," Sakura explained.

"I doubt it'll do much good. She never talks to anybody besides the Ravenclaws," Gloria said.

"Yeah. I tried talking to her a few times, but she just ignored me," Syaoran said.

"Really?" Lisa asked.

"Really," Syaoran and Gloria confirmed.

"That's strange. She's always nice to me," Sakura said. "That's okay. I can show you the book that she showed me last year. It made writing that report really easy."

"Thanks," Syaoran said.

A flutter of wings filled the air at that point and caused everybody to look up. Even after seeing it so many times before, and even with the diminished number of students in the Great Hall, the rush of all the owls flying in from the ceiling to deliver their packages still was quite a sight to behold. There was always a hope that one of those owls might be destined for their table, not that Sakura would ever be subject to that kind of happy surprise. Kaho or Keroberos would rather hand-deliver her her packages rather than try to fly through the ceiling of the Great Hall.

As usual, Gloria's gray owl swooped down, unerringly locating and flying straight towards the Gryffindor girl. When it drew close to head-level, but not so low as to actually risk hitting anybody even if they abruptly stood up, the owl deftly dropped the paper it held in its talons to the table below. It seemed like there were no other packages this delivery, as it swooped in a half circle and started flying back up. Meanwhile, the copy of the Daily Tale landed with a satisfying thwack on the table and flopped open revealing the front page to Gloria.

Gloria picked up the paper which had the headline, "Housing Spikes After Disastrous Muggle Outreach!"

"The Daily Tale?" Luna observed. "They have some good reporters there but the editors make sure they don't investigate any of the real causes of housing prices. My dad thinks they're actually being paid by the Zurich Gnomes."

"Oh, I see," Gloria said absentmindedly, still scanning the articles below the fold of her paper. "I suppose the Quibbler is the only real source of news."

"Not the only source, but one of the better ones," Luna said.

A few weeks ago, Gloria had gotten into a discussion with Luna about whether she and her father actually believed the things that were printed in the Quibbler. The only results of that discussion had been a series of headaches from Gloria, Sakura, Syaoran, and everybody else who was privy to it. Since that conversation, Gloria just kind of listened to what Luna said without paying too much attention to it, not unlike how all of the others treated Luna.

Actually, now that she thought about it, Sakura wondered where Luna got her copies of the Quibbler. She always seemed to have them at breakfast before the morning owl delivery.

"Of course it is," Gloria said sarcastically. The tone was clear, although her response seemed to satisfy Luna despite that. "Oh, what are all of you planning on doing after classes today?"

"I'm going to search for a radish. It's been far too long," Luna said.

"Hoe? Couldn't you just go to the kitchen for one?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly," Luna answered. Everybody paused to digest Luna's non-answer as she sliced off another piece of pancake.

Sakura looked to both Syaoran and Gloria in confusion. They looked just as baffled as she did. Once again, Luna had somehow terminated a conversation thread with an incomprehensible statement. The follow-up questions were obvious, but asking any of them was dangerous. Nobody knew where any of them might lead.

Gloria didn't take the opening. She instead pressed the conversation on and asked Sakura and Syaoran, "How about you two? What are you planning?"

Syaoran answered first saying, "I don't know. There's not very much to do around here."

Sakura answered, "I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore."

"The headmaster?" Gloria interrupted. "Even I've never been sent see him. What'd you do?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. "No. I arranged it. I want to ask him what he knows about Clow."

It had been a real pain to arrange, too. Apparently the head of the Ravenclaw house was a bit reluctant to bother the headmaster with the requests of a student. Between that and the general busyness of Professor Dumbledore, Sakura hadn't been able to schedule anything until this point. Truth be told, Sakura was more than a bit nervous for the upcoming meeting.

"Clow? What is a Clow?" Lisa asked.

"Clow Reed. He's the one who made..." Sakura said. She then noticed Luna. The girl looked to be preoccupied reading some article or another in her paper, but it was always hard to tell with Luna. Sakura continued, "... some stuff. He's somebody important that I want to learn more about."

Syaoran, Lisa, and Gloria all nodded in understanding. Luna nodded too for some reason.

"What makes you think he knows anything about him?" Syaoran asked.

"He told me that Clow used to be a professor here," Sakura answered.

"Oh, I see," Gloria said.

"Can I come too?" Syaoran asked.

"Sure," Sakura said. "After that, I was thinking of going to the library. I want to find that book for you and talk to Grey Lady. After that, I think I'm going to go experiment with my skates."

"Again with these mysterious skate experiments?" Gloria asked. At this, Luna looked up towards Sakura again, but she didn't say anything.

"Hoe? They aren't that mysterious. You can come watch if you want to, but it might be kind of boring," Sakura offered.

"Not today. I have Quidditch practice," Gloria answered.

"How is that going?" Lisa asked.

"Angela and the others get the lion's share of the practice, seeing how the rest of us are just reserves, but it's still fun. We might get a chance to play if one of them gets hurt, and the practice will put us ahead for next year's tryouts," Gloria said.

The meal quickly finished with inconsequential smalltalk after that. It was only made notable by Luna's occasional interjection with some random comment seemingly unrelated to the topic at hand. They finished with plenty of time for Sakura to reach the Transfiguration class, which was the start of her classes for the day.

* * *

"I expect a foot from each of you on the dangers of handling Flobberworm mucus, and they are to be completed by Wednesday," Professor Snape announced to the class at large after he had used his wand to whisk away the large mess covering one of the Ravenclaw tables.

"But that's not fair. It was a Ravenclaw who caused the mess," Susan, one of the Hufflepuff girls with long red hair, protested.

"Shall I make it two feet for Hufflepuff, Bones?" Professor Snape said in his characteristic mocking voice.

"No, sir," Susan capitulated in the face of Professor Snape's threat. This signaled the end of an eventful, and awkward, Potions class.

Michael's unfortunate accident with Flobberworm mucus had caused quite the mess, but it was more than that. Sakura found potions class to be somewhat uncomfortable even when things went smoothly. She still hadn't decided whether she should take Professor Snape up on his offer for extra tutelage. While he hadn't visibly pressed the issue, Sakura still found going to the Potions classroom and seeing Professor Snape to be somewhat discomforting. She would need to make a decision soon.

It was still better than most of her other classes. History of Magic was just as boring as her first year. She still learned absolutely nothing of value that she could tell there. Unlike her first year, Defense Against the Dark Arts was also a new-found hassle. Sakura couldn't find any meaning in the endless storytelling Professor Lockhart always went into each class, despite how much Lisa and Gloria and to a lesser extent Anthony waxed poetic about them and the professor.

Both of those were better than Charms class, which Sakura honestly dreaded going to. Whenever she tried to do things the way Professor Flitwick absolutely insisted, Sakura never could get them to work quite right; and whenever she deviated to what felt like a more natural way, Professor Flitwick would be there to scold her.

Once Sakura and the other Ravenclaw students had finished packing, they said their customary goodbyes to the Hufflepuff students. The Hufflepuff students seemed a bit more put-off and resentful than usual, but that didn't stop the Ravenclaws from saying their farewells. They then headed up to Ravenclaw Tower. When they reached the entrance, the boy who happened to be in the front was forced to answer a complicated question about the causes of the Battle of Botany Bay before the group was allowed admittance to their dorm rooms.

It was last stop of the day and the last time the second-year Ravenclaw students would act as a single collective group until the first class the following morning. Once they were inside, the boys and the girls separated to their respective rooms, and everybody fragmented into their individual friendships and cliques for the evening.

Sakura was running a bit later than she would have liked, but wasn't actually late yet. As she dug around in her trunk for her skates, Keroberos flew behind her and said, "Sakura. I got a letter from your father for you."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She took the message from Keroberos and tore the envelope open. She was sure she could spare a minute or two to skim through the message. She had been looking forward to this letter even more than her regular correspondences. In addition to the regular discussion of how life was going that Sakura always exchanged with her friends and family, she had also asked her father for his opinion of whether or not she should take those extra sessions with Professor Snape. 

Sakura was leaning towards turning down the Professor Snape's offer, and nothing Fujitaka said made her inclined to change her mind. He said some generalities about her having good judgment and that he was sure she would make the right decision. It was comforting in a way, although Sakura would have appreciated some more specific advice as well.

"What're you planning to do today?" Keroberos asked Sakura.

It reminded Sakura she was on a timer. She quickly placed the letter back on her desk. She would have time in the evening to read it in more detail and write a response. Sakura instead returned to digging through her trunk. As she did, so she answered, "I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore. I'm going to ask him about Clow. After that, probably the library, then these," Sakura answered, holding up her found skates and her books. "Do you want to come along?"

"Sure, I'm in," Keroberos agreed. He then followed through, more literally than most, and flew into one of Sakura's pockets for the ride.

Once she had her things gathered, Sakura left her dorm room and returned to the Ravenclaw common room. As she drew near, Su called out to her, "Hey, Sakura. Where are you off to?"

"The headmaster's office," Sakura said, thankful for that particular destination.

"Shoot. Never mind. Good luck," Su answered back.

If Sakura had been going somewhere like the library then she was sure that she would have been delayed for at least 10 minutes while various people heard, retrieved their things, and joined her. Somebody in Ravenclaw besides Luna had finally noticed that Peeves tended to avoid Sakura, and subsequently the news had spread through the house like wildfire. Ever since that time, Sakura's travel schedule had become somewhat more complicated. It seemed half the time she left to go somewhere there would be some other students who would want to tag along as well, and Sakura didn't have the heart to say no. Once she even got to play the hero when she managed to rescue a stolen quill from Peeves, to the relief of a very thankful first-year student.

That was only for popular destinations like the library, though. It was extremely doubtful people would want to go to Professor Dumbledore's office, and she didn't have time to wait for them even if they did.

The only other person to call out to her was Richard. He caught her as she neared the exit of the Ravenclaw common room, but he likewise lost interest when Sakura announced her destination. This allowed her to exit the room with only minimal delays.

Upon opening the door, Sakura immediately came face to face with Luna.

"There. I knew you'd get it eventually," Luna said. She stared straight at Sakura.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She checked behind herself to see if she was missing something before turning back to Luna. "Get what?"

"Not you, Sakura. The door," Luna said.

"The door?" Sakura ask. She still felt one step behind the ethereal girl.

"Yes. I was explaining how the London Purge started at 7:53 in the morning," Luna said. She nodded to herself.

"I see. Thanks," Sakura said. She quickly pushed that particular fact out of mind and hurried past Luna.

Sakura made her way through the long and winding corridors heading for the Slytherin dorms. She was to meet Syaoran there before going to Professor Dumbledore's office. Her concern for punctuality made the moving stairs feel interminably annoying. She was tempted to just jump down and check her fall using The Fly, but she refrained.

It was only when she was in the basement and near the Slytherin dorms that she heard the voice of Giles call out, "Hey, Sakura! Wait up!"

She slowed down a bit, letting Giles catch up to her. He then told her, "Syaoran wanted me to tell you that he can't join you right now. He got detention with Professor Flitwick."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She immediately felt sympathies for her boyfriend. "What happened?"

"He blew up a desk," Giles said. "You had to see it. It was totally wicked."

"Okay," Sakura said, unconvinced how much she really would have wanted to have seen it.

"Anyway, he's got detention for an hour. He said he'd be in the greenhouses after that if you want to find him before dinner," Giles added.

"Thanks," Sakura said. "Sorry but I need to go. I'm supposed to see Professor Dumbledore."

"Whew, both of you in one day. What are the chances? Well, good luck," Giles said.

"Thanks," Sakura said. She turned around and went back to the staircases. Seeing how little time she had spent exploring this particular area of Hogwarts castle, she was stuck using the moving staircases to get around, no matter how insufferably slow they were.

Despite her worries, Sakura managed to reach the entrance to the headmaster's office just in time for her appointment.

Nothing was there, except an exceptionally large and ugly stone gargoyle. Bereft of anything else to do, and somewhat accustomed to the strange aspects of magic all around the castle, Sakura hesitantly said the password that Professor Flitwick had told her.

The gargoyle immediately sprang to life and jumped to the side. Meanwhile, the stonework behind it split in two which revealed a spiral staircase leading upward. The stairs themselves were moving upward as well, not unlike an escalator. Sakura barely hesitated before stepping on.

The stairs took her higher and higher. As she wasn't actually walking, she found it hard to judge how high she had traveled, but it must have been a fair distance. She eventually came to a stop in front of a large wooden door. It had a large brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. It reminded her of the knocker on the front of the Ravenclaw common room. She knocked loudly, prepared to answer some esoteric question to gain entrance. Instead the door simply pulled open, revealing a spacious but surprisingly homely room behind.

The room was cluttered just enough to make the room seem inviting and charming, rather than being a sterile and foreboding office. There was a cage with a mottled bird in the corner, several stacks of books here and there, and various magical looking containers and devices scattered on the various surfaces around the room. It gave the impression that a real person lived there, and that that person just didn't care for putting on appearances.

"Ahh, Sakura," Professor Dumbledore greeted, once again correctly accenting her name as only he, Kaho, Keroberos, and Syaoran did in the United Kingdom country. "Filius had said you wanted to speak with me. It's unusual for a student to actively seek out a headmaster. How can I help you? Is there something wrong with one of your teachers?"

"No. Nothing like that," Sakura said. The question brought forward thoughts of Professor Flitwick, but she wasn't sure she wanted to mention her difficulties with the Charms professor. That wasn't what brought her here, anyway. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Of course. Our job is to answer all of your questions, after all," Professor Dumbledore said.

"Last year you mentioned you knew Clow, right?" Sakura asked.

"Clow?" Professor Dumbledore asked back.

"Yes," Sakura said. "Clow Reed. You said he was a professor here."

"Did I say that?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Yeah, you did. Right before the end of the year," Keroberos confirmed.

"Please. What can you tell me about him?" Sakura asked.

"I see," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "He disappeared quite some time ago. Why are you so interested?"

"I heard of him somewhere. I'm just curious," Sakura said evasively. She just knew from that same conversation the previous year that Professor Dumbledore already knew about her and the cards, but she also preferred to maintain the fiction that it was a secret. It was just easier that way.

"Is that it?" Professor Dumbledore asked, looking carefully at Sakura.

Sakura naturally looked at the ground in shyness, avoiding Professor Dumbledore's piercing gaze. She answered, "Yes."

"Okay," Professor Dumbledore relented. "Well, I'm afraid to say that I really can't tell you that much."

"What? Why not?" Keroberos asked.

"Don't get me wrong. I'll be happy to tell you everything I know, but there's really not much to say," Professor Dumbledore said. He leaned back in his chair. "He was the Herbology professor here when I was a student. A very unorthodox one. If he had also been a student, I've no doubt that he would have been in Ravenclaw, no matter how valiant he was in trying to fight traditions. He was always trying to learn new things and challenging ideas that 'everybody knew.' Almost everybody called him or his ideas loony at some point or another, but he was brilliant. More than a bit callous at times as well. All of the other teachers and especially the headmaster hated him. They always butted heads, and if it was big enough for us students to see it then I can only imagine what happened behind closed doors. The only other other thing I know of was that he was working on some big project of some kind to combine Eastern and Western magic. I don't know whatever happened with that. After he left, all the professors used to laugh at that particular exercise of folly. Seeing how it was Professor Reed, though, I have no doubt that he succeeded."

Keroberos nodded as Professor Dumbledore spoke.

"That's all you know?" Sakura asked. She had somehow been hoping for more, although she wasn't sure what. Maybe his history, or what he did in his spare time, or who he associated with, or if he had any pets, or where he came from, or how he had come to Hogwarts, or how he had left, or something.

"That's it. Like I said, I don't really know that much about him. I'm sorry. He was one of the most memorable professor I ever had, but he was still a professor. Keep in mind I was a student, much like yourself. How much do you really know about your professors?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I know Professor Mizuki," Sakura confidently answered. "She teaches Muggle Studies, and she's the daughter of a priest. Her favorite color is lavender. She used to live in Japan, but moved to England to be with somebody. She likes milk tea, and used to date my brother. Her magic's really strong, too."

Sakura knew much more from the frequent discussions and meetings she had had with Kaho over the years, but she thought she had made her point.

"That's impressive. It's very unusual for a student to know so much about a professor. Still, you have to consider that while I liked Professor Reed, he and I didn't share the same... remarkable past that you and Kaho have," Professor Dumbledore said. "What about a different professor, such as Severus or Minerva?"

Sakura thought, but she didn't know anybody by either of those names. She asked, "Who are they?"

Professor Dumbledore gave her a pointed look and then said, "That's Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall."

Sakura thought about that. What Professor Dumbledore meant struck home. She didn't know very much about either of them. She knew Professor McGonagall was the teacher of Transfigurations, was one of the more serious and strict professors, was the head of the Gryffindor house, and was always available to provide help whenever she needed it. She didn't know much more about Professor Snape either. She hadn't even known either of their full names until just a moment ago.

And those two were two of her more favorite professors, too.

"I see what you mean," Sakura said, admitting defeat. In that light, that Professor Dumbledore had known so much about Clow was rather impressive.

Sakura didn't know much about any of her professors, and now that that gap of knowledge had been pointed out she didn't like it one bit. She would need to make it a point to try to learn a bit more about them and the other professors around the school. Talking to Professor Dumbledore had opened her eyes in that regard.

Another thought struck her. Sakura asked, "Actually, there is one other thing I wanted to ask you about." She had asked Kaho already, not to mention Syaoran and the others, including people back in Japan, but more advice couldn't hurt.

"Yes?" Professor Dumbledore prompted her.

"Professor Snape offered to give me some private Potions lessons," Sakura started explaining.

"He did?" Professor Dumbledore asked. His eyes raised at the comment. "That's very unusual."

"Is it?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. Professor Snape is very exacting. He doesn't suffer fools or waste his time frivolously. If he offered to tutor you then you must have done something to catch his eye," Professor Dumbledore said.

The declaration made Sakura feel especially bad. She knew the Professor Snape was terse, but hearing how this offer was so unique made her decision to turn it down feel that much worse. She was original going to ask the best way to decline the offer, but with Professor Dumbledore's statement, she changed her question to, "I was going to turn him down. Is that a terrible idea?"

"That depends. Why are you turning him down?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I don't think I'll have time to spend on only studying Potions. There's too many other things going on I want to do," Sakura said. Her reasoning sounded quite pathetic when she said it out loud.

"I have no doubt that you would learn a great deal under Professor Snape, but if there's no time then there's no time. It's no use brooding over the impossible, no matter how enticing it might be," Professor Dumbledore said. He had a far away look in his eye while he said this despite looking at Sakura.

"Okay," Sakura said. She continued by asking her originally intended question. "How do you think I should tell him?"

Professor Dumbledore's eyes regained the focus from before. He said, "Just be honest with him. I'm sure it'll work itself out alright."

"Okay," Sakura agreed. "Thank you for your time, Professor Dumbledore."

"Good evening, Sakura. Keroberos," Professor Dumbledore said.

"See you later," Keroberos said.

More than slightly disappointed with the lack of details she had received from Professor Dumbledore, both about Clow and about how to tactfully decline Professor Snape's offer, Sakura turned and left the headmaster's office. The next stop was the library.

The more pressing issue there was to ask what had happened between Grey Lady and Syaoran. In addition to that, any assistance Grey Lady could provide in locating that short biography of Merlin would be greatly appreciated. Sakura could find the book herself, but it was much easier to enlist the aid of that particularly friendly ghost. Grey Lady always seemed to know everything that happened in the library.

Sakura let her gaze drift up in the library as she checked for the ghost most frequently associated with Ravenclaw house. It really was a bit of roulette as to where Grey Lady would be at any given moment. She could be floating in the air trying to find something to do, or reading over the shoulder of some patron in the library, or socializing with some students about whatever gossip happened to be the talk of the school at the moment.

Luck favored Sakura, as she quickly spotted Grey Lady hovering in the middle of the room. She had the characteristic look on her face of trying to find something to do. Sakura started to walk to the woman, sure that Grey Lady would both notice and welcome the diversion. She was not disappointed.

"Sakura. How charming to see you. You were just the person I was looking for," Grey Lady welcomed in a semi-loud whisper. It was enough to draw a glare from Madam Pince at the side of the room, but not enough to actually draw one of her all too common shushes.

"Hello, Grey Lady. You were looking for me?" Sakura answered back.

"Yes. You were the one looking for that book on enchantments, were you not?" Grey Lady asked.

It took Sakura a second before she remembered. She had asked Grey Lady a while ago about enchantment books, and Grey Lady had deferred comment saying she wanted to think about it. Sakura answered, "That's right. Did you figure out a good book?"

"I think so. It was quite the challenge, but I think I figured out the most basic book on that difficult subject. It's this way," Grey Lady said. She floated down one of the stacks of shelves. Sakura followed shortly behind her, giving her as much space as if Grey Lady had been a living person. Not only was it a matter of respect, it gave Sakura quite the chilling jolt whenever the hair or clothing of Grey Lady happened to drift through her, so she tried to avoid it whenever possible.

Grey Lady drew to a stop at a shelf. She pointed at a book titled "One Enchanted Evening."

"Thanks," Sakura said. She picked up the indicated book. She continued, "I could use some help finding another book as well, if you have the time."

"Time is one thing we ghosts have in spades," Grey Lady answered. "How may I help you?"

"Do you know where that book on Merlin you showed me last year is?" Sakura asked.

"I believe I do. Are you planning on writing another report? I thought Professor Binns only had the first-year students write that," Grey Lady said. She flew over Sakura and started leading her back the way they had come.

"It's not for me. I'm trying to help my boyfriend. He's a first-year, and Professor Binns is having them write that report on Merlin again," Sakura answered.

"A boyfriend? How lovely," Grey Lady said. She slowed down and turned to face Sakura as she spoke. "You simply must introduce him to me some time. I'd love meeting him."

"You would?" Sakura asked. "He said he tried to talk to you earlier, but that you didn't like non-Ravenclaw students."

Grey Lady stopped short and completely turned to directly face Sakura. It was so fast and so unexpected that Sakura almost crashed through her before she managed to stop herself. Grey Lady looked very concerned as she asked, "He's not in Ravenclaw?"

"No. He got sorted into Slytherin," Sakura answered. The reminder of that particular development brought a familiar wave of sorrow to Sakura. She still managed to spend a fair amount of time with Syaoran despite him being in a different house, but he was still in a different house.

Grey Lady gasped. The already supernaturally pale ghost managed to pale even more and looked aghast. She said, "You need to be careful of those people in other houses, especially Slytherin."

"Why? What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"They can be... very charming... They always... in the end..." Grey Lady stammered out in fragments. The normally equanimous woman looked far more disturbed than Sakura had ever seen her before.

"Syaoran-kun would never do that," Sakura insisted.

"I... I need to go..." Grey Lady said. Then without waiting for an answer, she floated up and away.

"Grey Lady!" Sakura called out, but not too loudly seeing how they were still in the library. Grey Lady didn't respond, although Madam Pince still shushed her for her efforts.

"What was that about?" Keroberos asked.

"No idea," Sakura answered. She was sure Grey Lady would like Syaoran if she ever got to know him, but wasn't sure getting them together was that good an idea given this recent reaction. Maybe Grey Lady just didn't like non-Ravenclaw students, like they had discussed in the morning. However, Sakura couldn't help but feel there was more going on than met the eye. Sakura wanted to find out what it was, but she also didn't want to offend her ghostly friend. She would need to tread carefully.

Even if she didn't have an explanation of what it was, Sakura at least had learned that there was something going on with Grey Lady and Syaoran. She could also address the secondary reason she had come to the library. She told Keroberos, "Anyway, let's find that book."

"Grey Lady was leading us this way before she freaked out. It's probably around here somewhere," Keroberos suggested.

"Good idea. Can you help me find it?" Sakura asked.

Even with the narrowed search area, it still took Sakura and Keroberos a fair bit of time to locate the thin book she had used the previous year for her essay on Merlin. Keroberos spotted it first on the top shelf and pulled it out before delivering it to Sakura.

With her two books in hand, and Grey Lady gone for some unknown reason, there was no real reason to stay around the library anymore. She borrowed the book on Merlin for Syaoran and took it with her in search of the greenhouses.

It was easy to find Syaoran in Greenhouse One. It was where the majority of first-year Herbology classes were taught, after all. He was hunched over a caterpillar stalk with his copy of "One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi" open right beside him. He looked back and forth between the plant and the book. He reached over and stroked the back of the plant. As expected, this caused the tip of the plant curled up into a tight ball and then drop onto the ground. Syaoran re-examined the book and then picked up the ball and put it to the side. He repeated the action a second time, placing a second ball next to the first.

"I heard about your detention. Sorry," Sakura said.

Syaoran started slightly, looked up, and said, "Don't be. Professor Flitwick is just a berk obsessed with tradition who can't admit when he's wrong."

Sakura couldn't honestly say she agreed with that assessment. She honestly couldn't say she disagreed with that assessment either. She had butted heads with her head of house enough times in the past. She decided to take the safe path and refrained from commenting. She instead asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just getting some seeds and cuttings to take back to Hong Kong," Syaoran said.

"Are you even allowed to do that, kid?" Keroberos asked.

"Why not? Nobody said not to," Syaoran said. He picked up the first two balls he had taken plus a third and put all three into a small plastic bag.

Sakura really couldn't think of anything to say to that, especially with a plant as harmless as a caterpillar stalk, so she changed the subject. She said, "I found that book I was talking about."

"You did? Thanks. This'll help out a lot," Syaoran said. "Did you figure out what was with Grey Lady?"

"No, I didn't. I tried asking, but she didn't say anything," Sakura said.

"She got all funny when she heard you weren't in Ravenclaw, and then got even worse when she found out you were in Slytherin," Keroberos said.

"Great. Probably just another Slytherin hater. It seems like the school's full of them," Syaoran said.

"Is it really that bad?" Sakura asked.

"There are a few, but most aren't that bad. Just a couple," Syaoran said.

"Sorry," Sakura said. She had assumed that Syaoran's time in Hogwarts would have been as good as her own. All of this just because he got sorted into Slytherin. She felt a bit guilty for Syaoran's even being in Hogwarts in the first place.

"It's fine," Syaoran insisted. He picked up the book, climbed back to his feet, and dusted his knees off. "Well, I'm all set for now. Should we go find a place to try out your skates again?"

"Sure. I got a book on enchantments too, this time," Sakura said.

Syaoran led Sakura and Keroberos out of the warm greenhouse and into the chilly October air. The three of them then proceeded down the corridors of Hogwarts, trying to locate an empty classroom. They walked a fair distance before even bothering to check if any rooms were empty. Sakura wanted to locate a room which was a bit more out of the way. There wasn't any way to perfectly guarantee their privacy, but there were enough quiet corners of the giant castle that an out-of-the-way room would be a reasonable hedge against anybody stumbling across their experiments.

They eventually landed in a quiet room on what seemed to be the third floor of the castle. Sakura was relatively sure it was the third floor, but with the strange layout of Hogwarts it was sometimes hard to be certain without a window to check through.

"So what first?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura pulled out the copy of "One Enchanted Evening" and opened the cover. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Possibly something like a textbook. Whatever Sakura had been expecting, though, the book was not it. There was no table of contents. There was no introduction. There wasn't even a title page. The very first page just started by saying to simmer some inkburst mushrooms in a bottle of spirits.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. "What is this?"

"It looks like instructions," Keroberos said. He hovered just over her shoulder.

"What's the instructions for?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know. It doesn't say," Sakura said. She flipped forward a page, and then another, and then another. When she saw a line later in the section describing one of the objects for the enchantment she suggested, "Maybe something for silverware?"

"Great. That doesn't help out at all," Syaoran said.

"Do you want to take a look?" Sakura suggested.

"Sure," Syaoran said. He took the book, flipped through several pages, and then handed it back to Sakura. He said, "That book's terrible. It doesn't label anything, and it doesn't even have an ingredient list at the start of each section."

"Sounds pretty normal," Keroberos said. "Clow was always complaining about that, not that he did any better himself whenever he bothered to write anything down."

They spent the next hour slowly flipping through the book, trying to find anything which might pertain to skates or making objects fly. About two-thirds through the book, Sakura found something which referred to a carriage. It didn't seem the most appropriate enchantment, but all three of them were getting tired trying to glean understanding from the slightly-hard-to-read script. A carriage was a vehicle, and skates were a type of vehicle as well. It was better than anything else they had tried so far.

"Let's try this one," Sakura suggested.

"Sure," Syaoran agreed.

Reading off the page, Sakura said, "It says 'disintegrate the gems of red fire and embroil their ashes twixt the frost of blue.'"

The room was silent for a few seconds.

"What?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know. It's just what it says here," Sakura said, pointing to the book.

"I don't know if it'll help, but sometimes Clow would crush up a bunch of gems together when trying to make magic stuff. That thing about red fire was talking about gems, right? And talking about embroiling their ashes with something," Keroberos said.

"It's as good a thing to try as anything," Syaoran said. "I'll say it again. This book's terrible."

"Okay. But how are we supposed to get the gems, then?" Sakura asked.

"Can't you use The Create or something?" Keroberos suggested.

"I guess. We just need some red gems, right?" Sakura asked. She pulled out the Key, and after one summoning with The Create, Sakura had a small pile of rubies in front of her. "Now how do we 'disintegrate' them?"

"And what was that about blue frost or something?" Syaoran asked.

"Got me, kid," Keroberos said.

"So what do we do now?" Sakura asked.

"Well, the thing did say something about blue frost, right? Stand back," Syaoran said. He drew his jian and then cast a spell at the small pile of stones which smothered them with a blast of magical ice.

Sakura picked up one of the rubies using the tips of her fingers. Other than being extremely cold in her hand, it didn't really feel any different than before. She put the gem back down and asked, "What about that disintegration part?"

"Maybe we're supposed to just break them into pieces or something," Keroberos offered.

"How?" Sakura asked.

The group fell silent, looking around the room for anything which could be used for the task.

After several seconds of this, Syaoran asked, "We're stuck on the first sentence. How much more is there?"

Sakura turned back to the book to check. She flipped the page, and then another, and then another, before giving up. She answered, "A lot."

"This is useless. We're getting nowhere," Keroberos observed.

"Well, what else do you suggest?" Syaoran asked back.

"Well I had been trying to make some new cards way back when modeling them after the Sakura Cards," Sakura offered.

"Hmm... Seems more practical than this garbage," Syaoran said, slamming the book shut dismissively. "Why don't you take out The Fly and we can take a look at that?"

"Okay," Sakura agreed. She pulled out The Fly and placed it on the table.

"Too bad Eriol's disappeared. He could probably make this real easy for us," Syaoran said.

"Nah. Sakura tried asking him before. He wouldn't tell us anything about the cards. He said Sakura should learn on her own," Keroberos said.

"Then what are we supposed to do first?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know," Sakura answered back.

She wasn't sure how she'd approach it. In fact there was only one thing she was certain of. If she was going to somehow make it so her skates could float in the air, it was definitely not something she would be able to solve in a single day.

* * *

Last Updated: April 8, 2015


	8. Sakura and the Ominous Sign

Chapter 8: Sakura and the Ominous Sign

The coldness of Ravenclaw Tower surrounded Sakura. It made it an extra luxury to hide under her warm blankets for just a bit longer, embraced by her comfortable blankets. Winter was still months away, but the recent weather in Scotland could have convinced her that it was the middle of February already. It was so tempting to just spend the whole day in bed.

As her brain woke up, Sakura's mood commensurately fouled. She quickly remembered the facts of reality, including all of her worries and all of the things she needed to do. Foremost of those was her decision to Professor Snape. It was long overdue, but she wasn't looking forward to officially telling him. It weighed heavily on her mind.

There was a resplendent Halloween celebration planned for the evening, but if anything that only made things worse. It meant that she wouldn't be able to have dinner with Syaoran today. Breakfast and lunch would have to suffice.

All together, it had the makings of being a very important yet very dismal day.

* * *

"Hey Sakura. W..where are you headed?" Anthony asked her as she was heading out the door of the Ravenclaw common room.

"I'm going to Professor Snape's office," Sakura asked.

"That goes by the library, right?" Anthony asked, looking distinctly nervous for some odd reason. "D..do you mind if.. if I come with you? There's something I.. I want to talk to you. About."

"Sure," Sakura answered. She wondered about the stammering.

The familiar path towards the library was well known to everybody in the house. It only took a couple of minutes to walk there.

"Is everything okay?" Sakura asked as they neared the library. Anthony had been quiet throughout the walk, and he seemed troubled by something.

"Yeah," Anthony said back. He didn't elaborate for a few seconds. He then abruptly cut in, "Sakura, I was wondering. You know. What do you think... I mean... do you have anything planned tomorrow?"

"Not really," Sakura answered. She didn't have anything special planned; just whatever she and Syaoran and anybody else who wanted to join decided to do.

"Do you want to... I don't know... play some cards or something?" Anthony offered.

"Sure. That might be fun," Sakura said. "I'll ask Syaoran-kun what he thinks. And Gloria and Lisa. She can get Wayne."

"No. I meant just the two of us," Anthony said.

"Just us two?" Sakura asked. She didn't get it. Cards were more fun if there were more people.

"Yeah. I was thinking... I was wondering... if you ever..." Anthony started. Before he could finish, a large crowd appeared from the direction of the library. Anthony trailed off, looking both somewhat disappointed and somewhat relieved.

In the lead of the diverse crowd was Syaoran. He had his sword out and looked ready to decapitate somebody with it. Behind him were students from all of the houses. The majority of them were from Slytherin, not that Sakura really recognized any of them besides Giles and Roger. However, there were numerous Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw colors in the mix as well. Most conspicuous among them to Sakura's eyes were Gloria, Wayne, and Lisa.

Sakura glanced back towards Anthony, but it seemed like whatever he had been trying to say was now over. She put it out of her mind and ran forward to get closer to Syaoran. She called out, "Syaoran-kun!"

"Hey," Syaoran called out. His voice tried to be welcoming, but it carried a heavy tone of anger.

"Hoe? What's wrong?" Sakura asked. Hopefully Syaoran wasn't upset at her for some reason. She thought back. Had she done something wrong?

"Peeves stole my wand," Syaoran said, getting visibly angrier. "I'm going to get it back and deal with him once and for all. Back in Hong Kong, we know how to deal with pesky spirits."

"Ehhh?" the familiar voice of one of the Weasley twins remarked. It was as if he had come of nowhere. He appeared right next to Syaoran and Sakura. He was carrying a large and lumpy sack. "What do we have here?"

"George!" Gloria called out, pointing at him.

"Fred," the other twin said, sending a sidelong glance towards Gloria over the large box he carried, "didn't you hear? It seems like this little firstie's going to show Peeves who's boss."

"I did hear," Fred answered back. In a stage whisper he went on, "Look at that sword. Wicked. Think he's going try to cut him up?"

"It should be entertaining, no matter what happens," George whispered back. Then in a more normal voice he said, "Good luck, little Slytherin."

"You're going to need it," Fred added as an aside.

"Whatever," Syaoran said in response to the twins' antics. He turned back to Sakura and said, "Sorry, but I should get going. I want to find Peeves before dinner."

"That's okay. Good luck. Let me know what happens," Sakura said. She wanted to go too, but she knew there was no chance of Syaoran actually being able to confront Peeves if she were around.

"I will," Syaoran assured her. He walked past. The large group followed just behind. The two Weasley twins abandoned whatever plans they had in mind and followed Syaoran too, as did Anthony.

Now bereft of company, Sakura continued on her path towards Professor Snape's office. Due to the Halloween celebration she was sure he would be around despite it being the weekend. He had groused about it in class at some point.

Sakura dodged through a side passage between two classrooms as a shortcut and made fast time to Professor Snape's room. The door there ajar, but she knocked on it anyway to politely inform him of her arrival as she poked her head in. Inside, Professor Snape sat at his desk. A large stack of scrolls were piled on both sides of him.

Professor Snape looked up at Sakura's knock. He then put his quill down and said, "Kinomoto. Come in. What can I do for you?"

"Professor Snape?" Sakura started, not quite sure how she wanted to say what she wanted to say. "I was thinking about your offer. To help teach me about Potions."

"What's your decision?" Professor Snape asked, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes. That is... Well... I'm very flattered... but I don't think I can do it," Sakura said.

Professor Snape's mouth took on quite an interesting look at that. It was either a frown which wanted to be a scowl or a scowl which wanted to be a frown. Whichever one it was, it wasn't very flattering.

"And why's that?" Professor Snape asked. Accused? Something. It was certainly in a terse voice, and it intimidated Sakura.

"I'm very flattered, but the thing is... I don't think I have the time to. I have a lot of things going on right now, and I don't think I have the time to really spend on this," Sakura repeated. She realized she was babbling from her nerves.

"I see," Professor Snape said. He then took a long sigh. "I'm disappointed. Rarely have I met somebody with your sheer potential, but at least realize exactly how daunting Potions is. Entering into the field with anything less than your full commitment is doomed to failure." Professor Snape pursed his lips. "There are still six years before you graduate. If your situation changes I trust you will let me know."

"Yes, sir," Sakura said.

"And you will pursue a N.E.W.T. in Potions," Professor Snape commanded more than asked.

"Yes, sir," Sakura said.

"Very well," Professor Snape said. "Was there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?"

"No, sir," Sakura said. She was eager to get out of the suddenly stifling office. "Happy Halloween."

"Yourself as well," Professor Snape said back.

Once out of Professor Snape's office, Sakura took a deep sigh. She was a bit disappointed in her decision, but she really did have too much going on already. Between spending time with Syaoran, experimenting with her skates, socializing with Kaho and Grey Lady and the others, her occasional exploration or other adventure with Gloria, and her constant studying; Sakura really didn't think she had time to do any serious studies with Professor Snape. It was such a contrast from her first year. It was amazing how much having her boyfriend around changed things.

That naturally led her to her next point to tackle for the day. Given the free day, normally there would be some form of indecision about which of the multitude of things she wanted to do that she would do. However, Syaoran was off trying to find Peeves, and he had taken all of Sakura's closer friends with him. That severely limited her options. She could have tea with Kaho, pass the time with Grey Lady, continue to fruitlessly experiment with her skates without the benefit of Syaoran's presence, or study. Given how Professor Sprout had given a less-than-subtle hint that it might be valuable to brush up on shrivelfig growth patterns, Sakura's decision was obvious. There were a few other plants she wanted to study up on as well.

Sakura kept to the main corridors as she made her way back to Ravenclaw Tower. The fact it was a Saturday meant there was no particular rush for anything she was doing. She just enjoyed the general ambiance of the Halloween day. Random groups of students were wandering the halls and doing whatever they were doing on the day off. The entire castle was drenched in a festive mood.

The knocker at Ravenclaw Tower posed a devious math puzzle which took Sakura a fair bit of thought to figure out. She still managed to solve it, which gave her access to the relatively quiet Ravenclaw common room. It was even quieter than usual because Halloween caused many to procrastinate on their homework for just one day despite the stereotypical Ravenclaw interest in academics.

In fact, the only person she saw in the Ravenclaw common room was Luna. She was mostly dressed for the day, having on her shirt, skirt, and robe. She was standing on a table, completely barefoot, jumping up and down, and just being Luna.

Sakura knew she would regret it, but her curiosity refused to be quelled. She asked, "Luna?"

Luna looked down at Sakura which revealed her rather upset face. Of course for Luna, a rather upset face only meant she had a bit of a frown. For the normally untouchable girl, that was a lot. She said, "Sakura. Here to tease me too?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"My roommates stole my shoes while I was asleep," Luna said. Her voice clearly reflected that she was upset, but not nearly to the extent that Sakura thought appropriate.

"That's terrible," Sakura said. She immediately felt sympathy for the girl. "Can I help you look for them?"

"I guess," Luna said. "The other students just said it was probably a wrackspurt or a nargle. Wrackspurts don't do that, and I've never even heard of nargles before. I'm sure they were just being mean."

"Why do you say that?" Sakura asked. The question was more for form and to give Luna a chance to explain herself. Sakura had little doubt that the other students were actually teasing her with some invented imaginary thing. She had checked for some of the creatures Luna had referenced in the past, including Wrackspurts, but could find none of them in any book she checked. It wasn't hard to imagine some prankster inventing something new as a crude joke on the girl.

Luna said, "They were laughing at me when they said it."

"Well I'll help you look then," Sakura said emphatically. The change of pace beat more studying in any case. "Where have you checked?"

"I searched my dorm room, and I've been trying to check the top of the bookcases in here. If I were trying to hide my shoes, that's where I'd put them," Luna said. She then started jumping again. Each jump caused Sakura to briefly panic. Thoughts of the table collapsing under Luna's weight floated through her head, but the table held for the small girl.

"How about I get Kero-chan? He'll be able to check up there a lot easier," Sakura said.

Luna didn't respond with an affirmative, but she didn't decline either. It was as good as anything Sakura could expect from her, so she hurried back to her dorm room.

"Heya, Sakura. How'd it go?" Keroberos greeted her.

"It went fine," Sakura said. There was really no other word for it. Her meeting with Professor Snape went about as well and about as poorly as she had expected. "But there's something else. Somebody stole Luna's shoes. Can you help us find them?"

"Righty-o," Keroberos said. He flew after Sakura.

When they returned to the common room, Luna was still jumping on the table. Despite being prepared for the scene, it still gave Sakura pause for a second.

Keroberos seemed to grasp the situation immediately. He said, "How about I check the top of the shelves? It's a lot easier for me."

"Sure," Luna said. She stopped jumping on the table. That was a good sign.

As Keroberos floated high into the air, Sakura said, "I'll check over here." She walked behind the white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw to see if the shoes had been hidden there. They weren't. Nor were they behind the bookcases to either side of it.

This wasn't quite how Sakura had intended to spend her Halloween, but she couldn't in good conscious leave Luna to her own devices as she went off to do something else. While she didn't exactly like Luna, she didn't exactly hate her either. Sakura knew how terrible she'd feel in Luna's place, and it was better than studying shrivelfigs in an case.

"I'm going to leave Hogwarts," Luna said abruptly.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked at the sudden declaration. She stopped looking behind the bookshelf and turned to face Luna. "Why's that?"

"Everybody here hates me," Luna said as if it were a matter of fact. She was casually pulling out books, opening them, and flipping through the pages as she spoke. It made for the strange disjoint between her actions, her words, and her characteristic ethereal attitude. "It's pretty obvious. Why else would they call me 'Loony?'"

Sakura knew people, including herself, thought Luna was strange. However, she hadn't realized how hard Luna had taken it all. Luna never showed any reaction to any of it. Then again, being called names all day couldn't have felt at all good, and that was before Luna's shoes had been stolen. Maybe Luna was right.

"Don't you have any friends?" Keroberos asked.

"There's one girl in Gryffindor who seemed like she might be nice, but we haven't really talked very much. She's a bit beside herself right now," Luna said.

"Beside herself?" Sakura asked.

"Yes," Luna said.

"What's that mean? Beside herself in anger?" Keroberos asked.

"No," Luna answered.

When it became clear Luna wouldn't elaborate her non-answer, Sakura gave a lamenting, "Hoe..." She returned to pulling open some cabinets around the room in self-defense, letting her concrete actions wash away the nonsense Luna was saying.

"That's okay. I'd do better in a more progressive school. Maybe Rotesbell," Luna said. She had fallen to her hands and knees and was searching around the floor.

"You can come with us and do stuff," Sakura offered. She cursed herself immediately after the words left her mouth. It was only an offer made out of pity for the friendless girl, and she immediately regretted saying it. She then felt bad for feeling bad for making the offer. Seeing how much trouble Luna was having in Hogwarts, it was selfish to think of herself at this time.

"Thanks but I don't need your pity," Luna said casually. Her blunt statement made Sakura feel guilty for trying to be nice. "What does it really matter if I stay or go? I don't really play a role here. I'm not somebody like Harry. He does stuff and people notice. I'm just like a background character. I doubt anybody outside of Ravenclaw's even heard of me."

Sakura didn't see how somebody who was so prominent in Ravenclaw could think of herself like that, but pointing that out and why she was so well known probably wouldn't help the situation very much. She tried to rally, "It'll matter to you. I was told that Hogwarts is the best school in the country. You shouldn't just give up. You might be wrong about... hoe?"

"What is it?" Keroberos asked. He floated down to hover just over Sakura's shoulder.

"What is it?" Luna asked as well, moving beside Sakura to look at the same bookshelf she was staring at.

On the bookshelf, about eye-level for the girls, was an inconspicuous gap between the books. The only thing drawing attention to it was the small pile of tomes knocked negligently on the ground in front of it. Inside this gap was the thing which had caught Sakura's attention. It was the presence of a pair of small, feathery, four-legged bird-mouse-like creatures about the size of her hand. Both of them had short round beak-like mouths and prominent pointed ears.

They also had two shoes wrapped up in their long tails.

Luna gave a gasp, and said, "Those must be those nargles. They weren't making it up."

The two creatures startled at Luna's voice and quickly ran down the bookcase, carrying Luna's shoes with them. They skittered across the floor, reached a wall, and quickly climbed out of sight. Throughout that, Luna just watched the pair run off.

"Don't you want to get your shoes back?" Sakura asked once the two creatures had vanished.

"If they need shoes, I can owl my dad for another pair. Maybe I have been too quick to judge. So, what are we going to do today?" Luna said. It flowed like a complete thought. It took Sakura a second to properly parse the three distinct topics Luna had just remarked upon.

"Hoe..." Sakura said. She wondered exactly what she had gotten herself into.

Sakura had originally intended to study, and the events which had just transpired did not change that. The only thing that changed was what she would be studying. The presence of those strange creatures piqued her interest. Sakura wanted to find out what she could about the unknown animals she and Luna had just seen, rather than study her Herbology, especially if they were running around Ravenclaw Tower while she slept. Keroberos and Luna agreed.

They started by searching the Ravenclaw libraries for magical creature books and subsequently searching those books for reference to those nargles they had just seen. It was slow going, given the lack of organization in the library and the disorganization within the books themselves.

After about two hours of fruitless searching they migrated to the Hogwarts library. Once there, Sakura introduced Luna to Grey Lady. They both got along surprisingly well. That was to be the silver lining, though. The corresponding storm cloud was that Grey Lady had not heard of anything called a nargle either, nor did she know of any creature which matched the animal's description. Despite this, she still helped the three of them locate various encyclopedias of magical creatures. None of them contained anything pertinent that Sakura, Keroberos, and Luna could find.

Their search was concluded when the too familiar wave of realization that it was time for dinner swept through the library. Keroberos tucked himself hidden in one of Sakura's pocket, and then Sakura and Luna then joined the holiday-sized crowd leaving the library as they proceeded to the Great Hall.

There were sporadic Halloween decorations throughout the stony corridors they walked through, but it wasn't until they reached the Great Hall itself that the true splendor of the event was revealed. The darkened room was lit only by the flickering of hundreds of candles burning in ornately carved pumpkins. Meanwhile, countless bats flew overhead. It was a fittingly spectacular scene. Only Sakura's memory of the same feast from the previous year kept her from stopping and gawking at the entrance.

Despite the extravagance surrounding her, Sakura would have preferred it if this had been a more ordinary dinner where she could join Syaoran at either the Ravenclaw or Slytherin table. As it was, Sakura was more looking forward to the end of the meal when she could meet up with him again for whatever they would do for the evening.

Sakura took a quick look around the Ravenclaw table in search of Lisa or Anthony. The candlelight was romantic but it also made it a bit hard to see. When she failed to find either of her friends, Sakura took a seat near the end of the table.

Shortly thereafter a large crowd appeared at the doorway. They were exceedingly chatty, and the group had an ambiance of excitement around it. It was easy to spot that this must have been the entourage Syaoran had been leading. From the atmosphere alone it was obvious that something big had happened.

"You did not tell us that your boyfriend was quite so exceptional," Lisa said as she took a seat next to Sakura. She seemed to be ignoring Luna.

"What? Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked. Of course it was obvious that Syaoran was amazing, but it was somewhat unusual to hear people talk about it point blank.

"Yeah. He's pretty good, I guess," Anthony said as he took the seat on the other side of Lisa. He sounded a bit morose.

"It was amazing. When we found Peeves, he..." Lisa started explaining.

"Wait. Hold it," Sakura interrupted her. She had been prepared for this eventuality. "I'm sorry but I think I'd rather hear from Syaoran-kun what happened."

It was hard to do. The excitement from Lisa's voice was contagious, and Sakura was always interested in everything Syaoran did. However, she thought she should give her boyfriend the benefit of being able to tell the story to her directly rather than her hearing about it from secondhand sources.

"Have either of you heard of an animal called a nargle before?" Luna asked abruptly.

"It's about this big and it looks like a weird bird-mouse with a long tail," Sakura added, trying to describe the creature they had both seen. She was happy for Luna's standard non sequitur changing the subject.

"No I haven't," Lisa said slowly. She looked at Sakura with concern.

"I think our dorm has them and we're trying to find out what they do," Sakura said.

"I think she really is contagious," Anthony said to Lisa. Both of them slightly scooted away from Sakura and Luna.

"Hoe..." Sakura lamented.

Dinner proceeded slowly. It was clear that Lisa and Anthony wanted to do nothing more than talk about Syaoran's latest exploits. This made it hard for Sakura to do anything but wonder what had happened. Her curiosity only increased when she looked over and watched Syaoran at the Slytherin table. As usual, Giles and Roger were sitting next to Syaoran. Less usual, the two first-year boys were talking in an exceptionally animated way, gesticulating wildly at times. In addition there were several other people surrounding Syaoran who Sakura didn't recognize. All of them were doing a very similar motion with their hands, addressing some clearly skeptical older students.

The feast was splendid. It was even better in that it was freshly cooked, not half-cold like the meal the previous year in Ravenclaw Tower had been. Sakura barely tasted any of it. She was instead counting the seconds until dinner ended, when she could find out from Syaoran what had happened. A victory for Syaoran it seemed. About the only positive aspect of the meal was that it wasn't interrupted by a Professor Quirrel panicking everybody with news of a troll on the loose.

Dinner actually never seemed to officially end. Desserts came out, but there wasn't any sort of formal end to the meal. Instead, the hall seemed to degenerate into a large party of sorts. Children, mostly the older ones at first, erratically got up from their seats and started mingling in the center of the Great Hall and along the walls. It wasn't clear when the exact transition point occurred, but somehow the Halloween dinner transformed into a giant party.

Sakura took the earliest opportunity to hurry over to the Slytherin table as quickly as she could without giving the appearance of being in an urgent hurry. Despite that she wasn't able to actually get close to Syaoran. He was swarmed by a not-insubstantial number of students which prevented her from getting any closer. She might have been able to force her way through the crowd, but the fact she was a Ravenclaw in Slytherin territory prevented her from making any such attempt.

It was only when Syaoran caught a glimpse of her through the crowd that he tried to make his way to her. The crowd naturally parted for his movement. When a gap appeared in the group she heard some unrecognized boy saying, "... fire. I knew this was the best house."

"Sakura-chan!" Syaoran shouted out to her. He was hard to hear over the murmuring of the party. Syaoran then forced his way through the crowd to her.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura answered when he got close enough to grab his hand. "How did it go?"

"How did it go?" Roger asked from right beside both of them. "It was brilliant. He bloody set Peeves on bloody fire!"

"You killed him? Killed him a second time?" Sakura asked, struggling to figure out the right way to ask the question. "I mean he's gone?"

"No," Syaoran said. Disappointment was visible on his lips. "The Weasleys stopped me."

"You should have just ignored them. Bloody Gryffindors," Giles said.

"Why'd they do that?" Sakura asked.

"Beats me. Who knows how those two nutters think?" Syaoran said.

"So what happened?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran proceeded to spin the tale of his confrontation with Peeves. Peeves's derision. The not insubstantial magic Syaoran did. Peeves's skepticism followed by pain. The interruption by the Weasley twins trying to stop Syaoran and save the irresponsible prankster poltergeist. Their reminder that Syaoran's wand was still missing and only Peeves knew where it was.

The tale was frequently interrupted by interjections from the classmates all around Syaoran. They added a detail here or a flourish there, or just added a generic comment about how Slytherin was the best house in the school. The story eventually came to a climax when Syaoran flourished his successfully retrieved wand.

The party wasn't over by that point. It was still going strong. If anything, it was actually gaining in momentum. Even after several hours, when the late hour suggested that good little witches and wizards should be heading to their bed, nobody wanted it to end. The whole student body simply migrated into the hallway in a big clump, trying to squeeze every second out of the once-a-year Halloween party. It seemed as if nothing could stop the fun everybody was having.

And then abruptly it all stopped.

"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE."

Written in stark red, each letter a foot high along the wall.

It was more effective than if Peeves had emptied all the icy water of the lake on the entire student body.

"Hogwarts: A History" hadn't spoken at length about it, but the incidents from 50 years ago did appear in that voluminous text. Grey Lady hadn't spoken much about the incidents either. However, between the two of them, Sakura knew all she needed to. Somebody claiming to be the Heir of Slytherin had opened the Chamber of Secrets back then. The events of that year culminated with the death of an unnamed student and the expulsion of another. If somebody else had dared to open the mythical chamber it could bode no good.

Syaoran gave Sakura a comforting squeeze of the hand.

Standing right below the sign was Harry Potter. He didn't have any paint with him, but as he had his wand, that didn't mean anything. His guilty look said it all. The look of fear that both Hermione and Ron had only added to the obvious conclusion.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" some voice from the front of the crowd shouted out. It cut through the silence and raised the foreboding of the assembled group of students to a fever pitch.

Sakura turned to look at Syaoran. He had a scowl on his face. He turned to face Sakura as well. His movement caught Sakura's attention. More exactly his tie did. His green tie. A chill went down Sakura's back. The Heir of Slytherin. The colors of Slytherin were green. All of a sudden, the flippant comments from the beginning of the year about her dream being related to the Slytherin house seemed much more ominous.

Syaoran followed Sakura's gaze until he was looking at his own tie. He then pulled Sakura forward into a tight hug and whispered to her, "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Sakura could only return the hug.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" the raspy voice of Mr. Filch asked. He pushed his way forward through the crowd. When he got to the front he shouted, "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?"

Sakura looked over at the evolving scene. She hadn't even noticed at first, but after Mr. Flich's accusation it was impossible not to see the cat hanging by its tail from a torch bracket.

Mr. Filch then immediately turned to Harry and accused, "You! You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll -"

"Argus!" the commanding voice of Professor Dumbledore interrupted. Unlike Mr. Filch, who had had to force his way through the crowd, the crowd naturally parted to allow Professor Dumbledore to come forward. In his wake, a small group of teachers followed.

Professor Dumbledore detached the cat from the torch bracket as if it were the most common occurrence of the day. He then commanded, "Come with me, Argus. You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."

"My office is nearest, Headmaster - just upstairs - please feel free -" Professor Lockhart quickly offered.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Professor Dumbledore said. He led the named people back through the mass of students. The crowd once again naturally parted to allow them to pass.

Left to its own devices, the crowd once again milled about aimlessly. Just like five minutes prior, nobody wanted to return to their dorm rooms. However, unlike the fevered excitement from before, the reason behind this hesitation was much less blithe.

Nobody wanted to be alone.

* * *

Last Updated: July 5, 2014


	9. Sakura and the Discovery of the Heir

Chapter 9: Sakura and the Discovery of the Heir

During breakfast on the morning after Halloween, Professor Dumbledore gave an official statement to the student body about the ominous writing on the wall and the petrified Mrs. Norris. He was flanked by the four heads of house and by the now out-of-place Halloween decorations which nobody had found time to clean up. Despite its substantial length, the statement contained remarkably little information. The main point of the speech was to emphasize that Harry and the others were not suspects and that everybody should trust their fellow classmates, but that nobody should hesitate in reporting anything suspicious to a professor.

Nobody in Ravenclaw believed any of it.

Professor Dumbledore had been a professor at Hogwarts 50 years ago, the last time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. It was impossible that he and the other members of staff didn't know more than they were saying.

Nobody had been sent home, despite the clear and present danger in the school.

Harry had to be the Heir of Slytherin. He was caught practically red-handed at the scene. He had even been marked by You-Know-Who.

The only possible conclusion given all the facts was that Professor Dumbledore had taken the opportunity the night before to corner Harry and put a stop to his nonsense. It was the only explanation that made any sense. Maybe if Harry stopped at just a cat, the whole thing could be swept under the rug and overlooked.

Explanations and stories seemed to spontaneously emerge from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Everybody insisted they had known all about Harry and the danger he represented since forever. His dislike of Mrs. Norris had become legendary. Everybody had known all along that Harry was not to be trusted, although Sakura knew for a fact that nobody had said anything like that just the night before.

Ironically, all of these whispered rumors and speculations seemed exceedingly plausible up until Luna started saying them. She was the only person who dared to openly speak what were otherwise only whispered secrets between friends. She started talking out loud about the silence of Professor Dumbledore and analogizing it with something called the Rotfang Conspiracy, and that somehow caused the idea to lose all its credibility. Likewise, when Luna asserted that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin for certain, for who else but the Heir could be so devious as to be sorted into Gryffindor and become friends with a muggleborn girl to throw off suspicion, that particular rumor died off. That Luna supported something somehow detracted from its credibility rather than added to it.

Regardless of if the professors did or did not know what this Chamber of Secrets was and who was or was not the Heir of Slytherin, one thing was clear. Sakura's and Syaoran's preparations for this dark arts threat were woefully inadequate. Syaoran insisted no matter what Professor Lockhart knew, his "storytime" and the lack of practical work made his class utterly worthless. Some real practice was both necessary and long overdue.

Sakura agreed to a large extent. She had learned a great deal during her time in Hogwarts, but it was no comparison to her card-catching days. The life-and-death experiences catching cards were just as inapplicable to learning how to transfigure a needle to a quill as the academic classroom knowledge of Hogwarts was inapplicable to confronting and stopping The Nothing. Practical experience was necessary too.

Yet when they tried to do something about it they had little luck.

"I am quite sure Professor Lockhart will teach us everything that we need to know," Lisa said when Sakura and Syaoran had brought the subject up. "You may not have heard of him out in the colonies, but he is quite accomplished."

"The professors have got things under control," Anthony said as well, once Sakura had managed to find him. That was growing increasingly difficult as time went by. It used to be that Sakura would see him at least once a day. Ever since Halloween, she saw him less and less. Once or twice she even saw him dodge around a corner before she could call out to him.

"We got Professor Lockhart here. What could possibly go wrong? Oh, sure, he's a bit pants at teaching, but he's still Gilderoy Lockhart," Gloria said as well.

Not that that stopped Gloria from joining in with Syaoran's idea. When she found out what Syaoran intended, there was no way to keep her away. She might have thought that Hogwarts was safe under the aegis of Professor Lockhart and Professor Dumbledore, but that didn't stop her from joining in "the fun."

It was Syaoran's idea to practice their magic in a more applied situation, and Sakura went along with what her boyfriend wanted to do. It was only fair. Syaoran helped Sakura with her experiments with her skates and the various other magics she was trying to discover, so naturally sometimes she would follow his lead on what to do in their free time. It had the added benefit to Sakura of providing quite a bit of insight into the relatively unstructured and self-guided way Syaoran had learned magic back in Hong Kong. She wondered if that was just the Li family or if all of the East followed a similar model. Syaoran wasn't able to answer that question.

Luna had joined as well, having decided to take Sakura up on her offer and stick around even more often than before. After the discussion and invitation Sakura had extended just before Halloween, she couldn't really leave the girl out. Syaoran and the others didn't seem too happy, but yielded to Sakura.

Weeks later, Colin was found petrified too.

A shudder went through the entire school. However, it didn't change anything of note. There was a slight increase of tension in the student body, but that was the only real effect of the discovery of this latest victim of the Heir of Slytherin. There was no mass search, or evacuation of the school, or really anything any of the students noticed. Sakura chalked it up to more weirdness in the way they handled things in Magical Britain. She resolved that she would need to be extra careful, given how little the professors were apparently doing.

Lisa and Wayne took Colin's petrification as evidence of the enormity of the danger facing them. If the professors couldn't do anything, if even the great Professor Lockhart couldn't do anything, what chance did a bunch of second-year students have against the mysterious and legendary Heir of Slytherin? It was better to keep their heads down and try to stay out of the way.

Syaoran, and by extension Sakura, took this as evidence that they needed more practice. They stepped up their sessions and started practicing several days a week, tucked away in some classroom and occasionally outside in the frigid fields surrounding Hogwarts Castle when necessary. Their practice was much more practically oriented than the stories Professor Lockhart told in Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Gloria loved every minute of it, which was odd given how little she got out of the sessions relative to Sakura, Syaoran, and even Luna.

Sakura continued to find and invite Luna to these sessions, even as they escalated after Colin's attack. Amazingly, despite this, news of Sakura's and Syaoran's exploits did not sweep uncontrolled through Ravenclaw. Either Luna was better at keeping a secret than Sakura thought, or nobody believed the girl when she spoke of tornadoes and fireballs. Knowing Luna, it was probably some combination of the two.

It was this reason Sakura was wandering through the castle. She was trying to find Luna before meeting with Syaoran and Gloria. It was a toss-up as to whether she preferred Luna to join or not join. On the one hand, it was Luna. On the other hand, her presence did make the numbers in the group much easier to handle. Sakura would need to use The Mirror to add a fourth person to the group whenever Luna wasn't around and they paired-off to practice. That particular trick had delighted Gloria the first time she had seen it. The usage of The Mirror was draining for prolonged usage, especially as it would necessitate that Sakura use the Key and the cards during practice so The Mirror could use her wand, and very especially whenever she also used The Illusion at the same time to add that extra layer of security. It was good practice, but it was also hard. Not to mention how weird it felt the few times she ended up paired off against her own mirror image.

Locating Luna might have sounded impossible given the size of the castle, but Sakura had two distinct advantages in this fool's errand. The first advantage was that Luna's magical power was quite modest, but it was still far above the average wizard and witch in the castle. This meant that if Sakura got semi-close to the girl then she would be able to feel her. The second advantage was that Luna was unmistakable to anybody who knew her. All Sakura had to do as she wandered through the corridor was ask for the girl. Any Ravenclaw could say if they had seen Luna in the recent past. It was like how locating Harry was easy, only with more odd looks from people for asking.

On this particular day, Luna was to be found on the moving staircases talking to a trio of Weasleys. She was literally on the stairs, rather than on one of the landings like the more sensible people in the conversation. This forced the prefect, Percy, to turn back and forth to continue to face the girl as they spoke. Fred and George flanked him, each with their back to one of the two walls such that as Luna migrated back and forth, first one and then the other would face Luna in turn. Sakura stood below them and tried to make her way towards the four of them whenever the stairs allowed it.

"That's what I'm saying!" Sakura heard Percy shout. It filled the entire stairwell. Luna had a talent for getting people, especially prefects, into a shouting mood. "Why would any parents name their children the same name?"

"Because they're twins," Luna answered. This earned two nods of understanding from Fred and George.

"Why's that matter?" Percy accused.

"It prevents confusion," Luna explained.

"That'd just create more confusion! Who'd think that'd help?" Percy asked.

"Your parents do," Luna said. She made it sound so obvious. In some sense it was, if Sakura threw all ideas of common sense out the window.

"No they don't!" Percy shouted.

"They don't? Then why'd they name both Fred and Fred Fred?" Luna asked in her usual disengaged voice. Sakura wouldn't have been at all surprised if Luna was absently staring into space while she spoke.

"She's got you there," the twin who Luna was drifting towards said.

"You can't argue with that logic," the twin Luna was drifting away from agreed.

"They didn't!" Percy shouted back.

"I see," Luna said. "I didn't know you were adopted. How are your new parents treating you?"

"You're adopted?" the twin now facing Luna asked. "Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"That explains so much," the other twin said. He didn't bother to turn to face his twin or Luna.

"I'm not adopted!" Percy shouted. He turned to face one of the twins, and then the other, and then back to the first before he gave up trying to face both of the twins at the same time.

"But you said your parents didn't name Fred and Fred Fred, so you had to have had different parents," Luna said. The stairs had started moving again, which caused her to slowly drift from one twin back to the other as the stairs ponderously made their way across the stairwell.

"That's not what I meant! I meant they didn't name them the same name!" Percy shouted. He pointed at the two twins accusingly.

"Then why are they both named Fred?" Luna asked.

"They aren't! That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Percy shouted. "That's Fred, and that's George!"

"He's right," the second named twin admitted, "only I'm Fred, and that's George."

"Okay, sorry," Percy said, slightly mollified. "I mean that's Fred, and that's George."

"He's right," the other twin admitted, mimicking the tone and gestures of the other exactly, "only I'm Fred, and that's George."

"See?" Luna asked. She continued to drift from the second Fred back to the first one until the stairs locked into place again.

"Argh!" Percy shouted. He stormed up the stairs. Luna watched him owlishly as he stalked away.

Both Freds gave each other mirroring grins of accomplishment as Luna looked at both ambivalently. She then asked them, "Really. Not knowing the names of his own brothers. Do you think the wrackspurts got him?"

The first Fred nodded knowingly. He gave a passable expression of concern as he said, "Maybe."

The second Fred said, "I never thought about that. You should go ask him and make sure he's okay."

"Hoe..." Sakura lamented. While it was none of her business, she thought she should clarify the truth to Luna before she ended up in more trouble. That could wait until after they were out of earshot of the Weasley twins. It would likely be impossible to convince Luna of the truth while the two pranksters were around.

"I'll do that," Luna said. "If he's that far gone it might be dangerous. I'll tell Madam Pomfrey too."

"Hello," Sakura greeted the three of them. "Sorry to intrude, but were you going to come to our practice session, Luna?"

"Right," Luna said noncommittally. That was about as firm an answer Sakura could expect to get from the girl.

"Syaoran-kun and Gloria are waiting for us at the usual place," Sakura said. She led Luna towards the third floor.

"Okay," Luna said. She followed behind Sakura.

Sakura took a quick look around to make sure the Weasley twins were out of earshot, and then said, "By the way, you do know that those twins are really named Fred and George, right? They aren't both named Fred."

"They are? Then why did they both say they were Fred?" Luna asked. She was staring at Sakura intently. Or staring through her. Sakura wasn't sure. Both were equally plausible.

"It was a prank, I think. They're pretty well known pranksters," Sakura said. Shortly after they entered into a proper corridor, Sakura walked through what appeared to be a stone wall but was in actuality a secret passage. The only indication that it wasn't really solid stone was the slightest bit of warble or tinge or something she couldn't really describe but could barely notice if she concentrated. Despite this indicator that everything was alright, Sakura still held her hand outstretched as she entered the portal. Every time she took this particular passage, Sakura got a mental image of running face-first into a suddenly solid stone wall.

Luna appeared seconds later. Her voice cut in at the same time her face did, saying, "... make sense."

They ducked through the strange passage. It felt straight, but it somehow emerged on the second floor near a set of seemingly abandoned rooms on the other side of the castle.

"Raitei Shourai!" Gloria's voice called out right before Sakura entered the room she expected to find both her and Syaoran in.

Sakura couldn't remember which particular spell of Syaoran's that was, but in many ways it didn't matter. She knew what the results would be. No matter which of Syaoran's spells Gloria tried to imitate using her wand, it would always result in a stream of water emerging from it. Sometimes the blast of water would be larger, and sometimes it would be smaller. Very occasionally, for some unknown reason, it would appear in a sphere. However, no matter what Gloria did, it would always be water.

As predicted, when Sakura turned at the doorway, she saw the trail end of a stream of water flying through the air and landing against a noticeably large water mark in the stone on the wall. There was a puddle beneath the splash as well. It was much smaller than would ordinarily be expected, and it was rapidly disappearing.

"You're finally here," Syaoran said when he caught sight of Sakura. He abandoned the sheets of paper on the table between him and Gloria and approached.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura replied. She hugged Syaoran when he was in range.

"Heya, Gloria. Still haven't given up yet?" Keroberos asked. He ignored the standard greeting between Sakura and Syaoran.

"Oh, I'll get it yet," Gloria insisted.

"No you won't," Luna said. It earned a frown from Gloria.

"Now that you're here too, I was thinking of something else today. It's been a while since I practiced my sword work," Syaoran said, irrespective of what Gloria, Keroberos, and Luna were talking about.

"What? Sword work?" Gloria jumped in.

"But I don't know anything about swords. Do you, Gloria?" Sakura asked.

"You can just use The Sword," Keroberos reminded her. It made Sakura suddenly realize that she had overlooked the obvious.

"What else would you use for sword work?" Luna asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sakura ignored the question as she thought any explanation to Luna would be rife with confusion and misunderstandings. She just pulled the Key from her neck and automatically recited in Japanese, "Key which hides the powers of stars, show your true power before me. Under the contract, Sakura commands you. Release!"

By this point, everybody had seen it enough times such that nobody reacted when the charm grew in Sakura's hand. Furthermore, nobody paid particular attention when she flicked out The Sword and entreated it to form for her to practice with Syaoran. It was only when the Key transformed into the thin and ornate weapon tipped with a diamond shape did anybody pay special notice.

"What happened? Is it supposed to do that?" Gloria asked.

"You mean this?" Sakura asked, slightly waving The Sword. Was that the first time she had had the Key change shape in front of them? Maybe it was. "It is."

"So you can't use the cards anymore, then," Luna declared more than asked.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She turned her head a bit as she thought about it and if she had ever tried. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"Enough talk. Let's practice," Syaoran said. He already had his sword in front of him in an intimidating position.

"You sure you'll be alright, Sakura?" Gloria asked, taking a step back. "You don't exactly strike me as much of a fencer."

"I'll be fine," Sakura said as she took a position counterpointing Syaoran's. She didn't really know what she was doing, but the magic of The Sword naturally guided her body into place.

They faced off for a second. Gloria intently stared at Syaoran while Luna examined Sakura just as closely. Then Syaoran charged forward with an overhead strike.

Sakura automatically raised her hand upward and held the sword horizontally in a parry.

The beautiful sword Sakura held in her hand couldn't have been much thicker than a rapier, and its feathered form made it look more ornamental than functional. In fact, it barely even looked like it had an edge to it as Sakura held it ready. Certainty it looked much less functional than Syaoran's thick jian. It was obvious which was a warrior's weapon and which was a wall decoration.

Despite the differences in appearance of the swords, The Sword held marvelously and managed to stop the jian without being cleaved in two.

Sakura let the attack slide to her right towards the tip of The Sword. The extra momentum assisted her in twisting to the right. She kicked out with her foot behind her as she turned.

Syaoran's jian struck the tip of The Sword and caught slightly on the diamond shape. It managed to pull Syaoran off-balance just enough that Sakura's kick hit him right in the stomach. He went tumbling backward. His disarmed sword flipped through the air across the room and clattered on the floor. It then changed back into an orb form.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura shouted out. She dropped her weapon and ran to his side.

Syaoran gave an inarticulate groan and climbed to a sitting position.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"Ooo..." Syaoran mumbled out. "Teach me to not take The Sword seriously."

"Oh, wow. Where did you learn that. Can you teach me?" Gloria eagerly asked.

"It's the magic of The Sword. It makes anybody a master swordsman," Keroberos said.

"Magic doesn't work that way," Gloria protested.

"Mine does," Sakura disagreed.

"Careful!" Syaoran shouted across the room at Luna. She had his jian in her hands and had the blade up near her eyes to closely examine it. One of her hands felt across the edge of the weapon.

Luna turned to look at Syaoran. It incidentally resulted in her face being even closer to the blade.

"Oh. How'd you do that?" Gloria asked Luna.

"Do what?" Luna asked.

"That, with Syaoran's sword. How'd you make it?" Gloria said.

"The same way Syaoran does," Luna answered.

Meanwhile, Syaoran climbed to his feet. He carefully approached the ethereal girl and then deftly disarmed her. Sakura took the opportunity to retrieve the Key as well. It was a far less dangerous proposition.

"But... what..." Gloria stuttered out. "Does that mean you can do the other stuff those two do?"

"But I don't want to banish all of the ghosts from the school. I like Paul," Luna answered. She then turned to Syaoran and asked, "You aren't going to try to get rid of Paul too, are you?"

Unlike what seemed like the entire rest of the school, Luna still remembered and referenced the exploits of Syaoran on Halloween day. The storm cloud of the Heir of Slytherin which hung over the school did have a bit of a silver lining in that it overshadowed all and seemed to have made the student body school forget about everything else, include Syaoran's confrontation with Peeves.

"Who's Paul?" Syaoran asked in return.

"He's a ghost," Luna answered blithely. Then, in a way which for anybody else would have sounded like an afterthought, she added, "And a walrus."

"They said they are usually around here," the faint voice of Lisa sounded from outside the room. Sakura ignored the undoubtedly circular discussion brewing between Luna and Syaoran and poked her head out of the room. Walking down the hallway was Lisa and Wayne. They were walking in a decided hurry.

"Hey, Lisa. Hey, Wayne," Sakura called out to the pair of them. They hurried up their already fast pace.

"What brings you two out here?" Keroberos asked.

"Did you hear?" Lisa asked.

Without waiting for a response, Wayne answered, "Professor Lockhart's hosting a dueling club."

"What's that?" Sakura said as the four of them returned to the room. It was just in time to hear Syaoran crossly say, "I know that."

"Come on, everybody. Professor Lockhart's starting a dueling club. It's about to start," Wayne repeated more loudly for the entire room.

"What? When? Where?" Gloria asked back. She was just as excited as Wayne and Lisa were.

"Now, or soon, in the Great Hall. We just heard ourselves. We simply must hurry," Lisa answered.

"What's a dueling club?" Keroberos asked, repeating Sakura's question from earlier.

"It's like this, only more formal, and Professor Lockhart's going to teach it," Gloria said. She was already hustling towards the door. "Come on. I don't want to miss it. Let's go."

Sakura, Syaoran, Keroberos, and Luna allowed themselves to swept up in the excitement the other three exhibited and followed them as they hurried to the Great Hall. Whatever this club was, those three weren't the only ones who were excited. It seemed like the entire student body was already there. Sakura and the others had to settle for watching from the back of the room.

They were apparently a bit late, seeing how as Sakura entered the room Professor Lockhart was announcing to the entire room, "... assistant, Professor Snape. He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now I don't want any of you youngsters to worry - you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

There was some moving and shuffling, but Sakura couldn't see anything through the throng of people in front of her. She ended up making her way to the side of the room and then standing on the tips of her toes. This barely let her see the torsos of the tall professors over the heads of the students in front of her, and that was only because the professors both stood on a stage in the front of the room. They were facing each other, each holding his wand in front of him pointed at the other.

Professor Lockhart flashed another brilliant smile to the group. He announced, "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course. One - two - three -"

Both Professor Snape and Professor Lockhart raised their wands above their hands and pointed them at the other. Professor Snape struck first, shouting, "Expelliarmus!"

A brilliant red light emerged from the end of his wand. It was the most impressive effect Sakura had seen from any professor besides Kaho and Professor Dumbledore. The next thing she saw was Professor Lockhart flying backwards through the air, off the stage, and up against the wall behind him. He then slid down out of Sakura's view. Professor Snape, on the other hand, a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

The room was filled with the murmuring of the suddenly animated student body. However, Sakura couldn't make out anything in particular being said.

Professor Lockhart climbed back to his feet. He looked far less steady than he had seconds ago. He announced to the crowd, "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm - as you see, I've lost my wand - ah, thank you, Miss Brown - yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy - however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."

Professor Snape's look of satisfaction turned progressively darker until it looked like he was ready to throttle Professor Lockhart right there on the spot.

"Enough demonstrating!" Professor Lockhart said, concluding his rambling. "I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me -"

Sakura took that as her cue and fixed herself by Syaoran's side. If they were going to be paired, Sakura wanted to be paired with him.

The group was paired off in short order. Sakura got her wish and was paired up with Syaoran while Lisa and Wayne squared off against each other. Gloria ended up matched with Luna.

Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape returned to the front of the room. Once there, Professor Lockhart called out, "Face your partners! And bow! Wands at the ready! When I count to three, cast your charms to Disarm your opponents - only to disarm them - we don't want any accidents -"

"What are we supposed to do?" Sakura asked.

"I guess the same thing Professor Snape did?" Syaoran asked.

"Okay," Sakura said, unsure of herself. It sounded a bit dangerous, seeing what had happened to Professor Lockhart.

"One... two... three -" Professor Lockhart announced.

"Expelleramus," Sakura said, trying to imitate the single time she had seen Professor Snape cast the spell.

"Expellerus," Syaoran said, likewise trying to imitate Professor Snape's wand motions.

Sakura could feel her magic collapsing into something in front of her, but it dissipated without form or effect. Interestingly she could feel Syaoran's magic doing much the same, although it felt entirely different in texture and intent. Neither of their attempts resulted in anything significant occurring.

Unlike the two East Asian children, all around them bedlam was occurring. Cries of "Confundo," "Impedimenta," "Silencio," "Incendio," Rictusempra," and countless other things were shouted from the other students. These had a variety of effects, causing some people to start laughing uncontrollably, others to go fall over in a tangle, and various parts of people's bodies to grow or shrink.

"I said Disarm only!" Professor Lockhart shouted, trying to bring order to the large room. "Stop! Stop!"

"Finite Incantatem!" Professor Snape shouted, taking a more direct approach. He cast a strong wave of magic throughout the room and ended all of the various magical effects the different students had caused upon each other.

In the sudden quiet Sakura could hear Luna say, "Here's your wand back."

"Lucky shot," Gloria muttered as she took her wand back from Luna.

Professor Lockhart announced more loudly and to the entire hall that he thought he should teach everybody how to block unfriendly spells. He spoke in a tentative and uncertain way, suggesting to Sakura that Professor Lockhart really didn't know what he was doing and was just making things up as he went along.

He and Professor Snape drafted Harry and Draco for the next demonstration. Professor Lockhart tried to show Harry how to cast a blocking charm while Professor Snape taught some type of attacking spell to Draco. Professor Lockhart's dropped of his wand during the teaching phase. It did nothing to bolster his credibility.

What happened next would forever be remembered in both the history of Hogwarts as well as the history of one Harry Potter.

"Serpensortia!" Draco called out. A long snake erupted from his wand and landed facing Harry. Sakura had never been so thankful to be in the far back of a crowd, and from the looks of things the other students were struck with the same idea. The front rows recoiled back, away from the vile looking creature.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it..." Professor Snape said. He drew his wand and moved forward to deal with the problem.

"Allow me!" Professor Lockhart shouted while he snapped out his wand. With a bang, the snake flew through the air and landed several feet away.

It was at this point that Harry started hissing. The loud hiss he made sounded almost demonic. The snake Draco had summoned slithered forward towards Justin Finch-Fletchley in synchronization with Harry's hissing. It stopped just in front of Justin and eyed him malevolently. Harry had a similar look on his face, grinning at Justin with a glint in his eye.

"What do you think you're playing at?" Justin accused before fleeing the hall. The crowd parted to let him go. Whispers of how he had just been marked had already starting being whispered.

Professor Snape banished the snake. He and Professor Lockhart announced that the meeting was over, and they started encouraging everybody to go back to their dorms. Harry had disappeared, along with Ron and Hermione. However, nobody else was eager to leave the Great Hall and the safety of the large crowd therein. Instead, small groups cloistered together and friends talked urgently amongst themselves about what had just happened.

"That just proves Harry's the Heir of Slytherin," Luna said in what passed as frantically for her. It was barely different than her normal disengaged tone of voice. "I wonder if Ravenclaw's Heir is in Hufflepuff."

For once nobody disagreed with Luna's assertion.

It was up to Keroberos to ask, "What do you mean?"

Luna addressed Sakura's pocket as she answered, "Well if the Heir of Slytherin is in Gryffindor, then wouldn't it make sense for the Heir of Ravenclaw to..." 

"Not that," Syaoran cut her off. "The bit about Harry being the Heir."

"He's a parselmouth," Luna answered. "Do you think he'll be an auror when he grows up?"

"What's a parselmouth?" Sakura asked before Gloria could interrupt as she did whenever Luna started talking about aurors.

"It is somebody who can speak parseltongue," Lisa answered.

"They can talk to snakes," Gloria explained at the same time.

"It's some dark magic, that's what it is," Wayne agreed.

"And that means Harry's the Heir?" Syaoran asked.

"Without a doubt," Lisa answered. Wayne nodded in agreement. Gloria nodded as well, albeit much more slowly.

"Sorry," Luna said to Gloria.

"What for?" Gloria asked.

"You need to share a dorm with him. You're a pureblood, right?" Luna asked.

"Oh," Gloria said. She paled a bit. She answered in a voice louder than was strictly necessary, "Of course I'm a pureblood."

The seven of them remained huddled together for a substantial period of time and talked about the Heir of Slytherin and why he had targeted Justin, but there were no easy answers to be had. Eventually a cluster of Hufflepuff students hesitantly made their way out of the Great Hall. Wayne ran off to join them. Nobody wanted to wander alone in the hallways right now. Slytherin left next, taking Syaoran with them. This was followed by Ravenclaw with their respective students.

As Sakura left the hall, the only people left in the Great Hall were Gloria and the rest of the Gryffindor students. None of them seemed eager to return to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

There was a nervousness permeating the very air of Hogwarts. Unlike normal, though, it didn't feel at all celebratory. It felt closer to being a lull before a typhoon. The castle, already lacking in festive spirits ever since Colin had been found petrified, was decisively tense ever since the events at the dueling club meeting had quashed any remaining optimism. The festive decorations which appeared around the castle felt more a perfunctory formality than a celebration of the upcoming Christmas.

It was like the weather. A tremendous snowstorm had hit Hogwarts the day after the dueling club, covering the area in an oppressive blanket of snow. For an outsider it would have superficially looked like the previous year, but those actually living inside the castle could tell the difference. Rather than casting the castle and its surrounding grounds in a mystic light where anything was possible, the thick layers of snow trapped everybody in the building and raised the tension of the environment that much higher.

Everybody was nervous. Justin was nowhere to be seen. Ever since it had come out how Harry had been looking for him, the boy had practically disappeared from the castle. It was an impressive feat given the piles of snow which kept everybody trapped indoors.

Justin's fear was proved justified in short order. His attempts at avoiding Harry had clearly backfired as Harry had managed to catch him in a secluded corridor and petrify him just as he had Colin earlier. Not only Justin either. Nearly-Headless Nick was found floating next to Justin as well, seemingly petrified too. As news of his assault burned through the castle it was impossible not to remember Harry's angry, vile, almost demonic hissing as he marked the boy. It was the final piece of evidence. There was no longer any doubt. Harry was the Heir of Slytherin.

According to Syaoran, Slytherin was all a confused jumble. The very subsection within Slytherin who cheered on the idea of the return of the Heir of Slytherin and the ascendancy of purebloods didn't know how to handle the fact that The-Boy-Who-Lived was the Heir. The majority thought he couldn't possibly be the Heir. However, it was hard to argue with the facts. The only firm conclusion in Slytherin was that Harry must have been extremely devious and had amazing foresight to have been able to "sneak into Gryffindor" and then "string along a mudblood as a friend" for the sake of appearances. As much as anything, it proved how befitting he was for the title of Heir of Slytherin. This echoed Luna's comments from just after Halloween, although it somehow sounded much more convincing now.

This latest attack put the castle in a state of absolute terror. Colin's petrification was one thing, but Harry's dislike for the boy and his incessant attempts at photography was well known by now. The attack was terrible, but there was an understanding behind it. Justin's petrification made no sense. If Harry was willing to mark the boy for no reason then it meant everybody was a potential target. The fact that Harry was both willing and able to dispose of Nearly-Headless Nick, a ghost immune to almost all dangers and a staunch supporter of Harry's own house, merely for being a witness meant that nobody was safe. 

People no longer traveled on their own. Even the students in Slytherin were nervous, no matter what airs they put on. According to Syaoran, blood status had become a particularly favorite topic of conversation in the house with various students incidentally mentioning in passing they were pureblood several times.

The unwillingness to travel alone made it difficult for Sakura and the others to meet up for practice. Sakura, in Ravenclaw, had it easier. Ever since that day, Lisa and subsequently Wayne had decided to join in with Luna for their self-defense practice sessions led by Syaoran. Syaoran, Gloria, and Wayne had a harder time getting to the classrooms they practiced in. Each needed to find or convince a group of students in their houses to make a trip.

The holiday could arrive none too soon. Relatively few people planned on staying behind. Most notably Harry had, which went some way to explaining the remarkably small number of others who chose to. Everybody knew Harry wasn't going home. Everybody knew where Harry was all-day, every day. Keeping close tabs on the location of the boy had become not only habitual but a self-preservation activity in Hogwarts. Those who couldn't go home had something extra to dread, and they feared the day classes would end.

And then the day arrived.

On that last day, Sakura met up with Syaoran and they both made their way to Kaho's office and its promised liberation from the horrible oppression of the castle via the floo network.

* * *

Last Updated: July 14, 2014


	10. Sakura's Transfiguration Troubles

Chapter 10: Sakura's Transfiguration Troubles

The only notable aspect of the winter holidays was that Clow Manor had been obviously abandoned. That hadn't even come as a surprise. At the start of the school year, Kaho had told as much to Syaoran, who had told Sakura, who had told Keroberos. Therefore when the four of them entered the building, its stale air, its dusty tables, and its refrigerator full of spoiled food surprised nobody. Kaho didn't even bother saying anything, excepting to apologize for the poor send-off as she handed over a pair of portkeys.

The winter holidays themselves were a welcome break. It was nice to be away from the silent but unmistakable threat posed by the Heir of Slytherin.

There was much less fanfare awaiting Sakura upon her return to Japan as compared to her first year spent abroad. Her adventures and travel overseas had become old news. She still caught up with her friends on the details and trivialities of life which were not conveyable in letters, but there was no major party and no surprise visit from Syaoran. The relaxing days with Tomoyo and the others were almost enough to let Sakura forget about all of the stresses in Hogwarts and the dangers of the Heir. She instead took the peaceful days one at a time.

All of that came to a crashing end in what seemed like seconds upon returning to Hogwarts Castle.

"The Heir's struck again. Hermione's dead. Muggleborn, don't you know?"

Nobody was sure who had been the first to say it, but the news flashed through the student body as if spread by magic.

"You're still on about that? She's just sick. Madam Pomfrey's treating her."

The correction flashed through the school even faster than the initial rumor. Everybody wanted to be the one to claim superiority by showing up a false-rumor spreader.

By the time Sakura had heard the second rumor, the hospital wing had been closed to all casual visits. It made it impossible for anybody to confirm either the rumor of Hermione's death or the correction which said she was just ill. However, the quarantine of the hospital wing certainly corroborated the second version of events more than the first, even if it didn't prove anything conclusively.

School quickly settled to normal, or at least what passed for normal life ever since the attack on Justin in December. Children traveled in groups, hushed whispers kept close tabs on the location of Harry at all times, and classes continued on as best they could underneath the cloud of fear.

It was in one of these classes that Sakura had a revelation. She was sitting in Transfigurations class and paying attention as Professor McGonagall explained about how you couldn't change the true nature of an object. This in turn led to Gamp's Laws of Transfiguration. Sakura took the same thought and extended it to the other aspects of magic she knew, such as how Keroberos was Keroberos no matter what form he was in. This led her to thinking about his transformations from his fake plushie-like form to his true form and back. That's when it struck her. Unlike the transfigurations Professor McGonagall taught, whenever Keroberos changed forms, some ornate circles would appear around him. They appeared under Yue as well in similar circumstances.

After that realization, Professor McGonagall's class couldn't end fast enough for Sakura.

"Yes, Sakura?" Professor McGonagall asked as Sakura approached her after classes had finished for the day.

"I was wondering. You haven't talked about any magic circles in class yet. Are we going to learn about them later?" Sakura asked.

"Magic circles? What magic circles?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking," Sakura said.

"Where did you hear about them?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"I didn't exactly hear about them. I've seen them around here and there," Sakura said.

"Then what do they look like?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Sakura knew exactly what they looked like. She had seen them enough times. Two large concentric circles, with lines forming angular connections between them. Inside the center was a star pattern of some fashion or another, with various symbols depicting different celestial objects. She had seen the pattern so often that she barely even noticed it when it appeared anymore. That was another thing. In addition to Yue's and Keroberos's transformations, those magic circles appeared whenever Sakura used the cards. The symbol was also prominent on the back and each and every Sakura Card she kept in her pocket, not that she would ever show the cards to Professor McGonagall. It would have been a perfect example of what she was trying to describe, but she had learned her lesson the previous year.

She tried to describe the shapes for Professor McGonagall as best she could verbally, saying, "It's... they're... they're like these big circles. And they have another circle inside of them. And they have all these lines in the center."

"How do you know they're related to transfigurations?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Sometimes the thing inside the circle changed shape," Sakura said.

Professor McGonagall paused for a few seconds before saying, "I haven't heard anything like that before."

Now that Sakura thought about it, she had never seen anything similar to those circles in all of her time in the United Kingdom either. Maybe it was some of the Eastern magic Clow had used when making the cards.

"Okay. Thanks," Sakura said. She was vaguely disappointed, but that was outweighed by her curiosity.

Sakura hurried out of the classroom and caught up with the others on their way back to Ravenclaw Tower. Once there, Sakura rushed past a partially melted traffic cone in a corner of the room and headed straight for her dorm. Nobody was sure it had been Luna who had put the scorched piece of plastic on display, but it had to have been her. Nobody was brave enough to ask why, though.

"Kero-chan! Kero-chan!" Sakura called out as she entered her room. She carelessly tossed her books onto her desk.

"What is it, Sakura?" Keroberos asked, floating in from one of the window.

"You know those magic circles?" Sakura rushed out.

"Which circles?" Keroberos asked.

"Those circle things that appear when you transform. What are they?" Sakura tried again.

"What're you talking about?" Keroberos asked.

"Just transform," Sakura said.

"Okay," Keroberos said. He was then wrapped with feathers. The ornate pattern Sakura had been trying to describe to Professor McGonagall appeared below him. She only got a momentary glance before it was gone and the large body resembling a winged lion that was Keroberos's true form was standing there in its place.

"That. Did you see? That big circle that appeared around you," Sakura said.

"That's what you meant?" Keroberos asked. He started laughing. He had a loud and boisterous laughter, which sounded strange coming from his true form rather than his fake form. "I don't know."

Sakura continued to reflexively laugh with Keroberos, and then froze when what he said registered. She exclaimed, "You don't know?"

"Not really," Keroberos confirmed.

"It happens around you all the time. How can you not know?" Sakura asked.

"Magic circles appear all the time around you too. Why are you asking me, then?" Keroberos asked back.

"Hoe? Good point." Sakura said. It was her turn to give a nervous laughter, joined in by Keroberos this time. She was struck by a thought. She said, "I know. Maybe Syaoran-kun knows something about it."

It stood to reason. If it was some bit of Eastern magic that Clow had used, Syaoran would have a better chance of knowing about it than Professor McGonagall. If nothing else, it was a good excuse to find Syaoran, not that she needed an excuse.

Keroberos transformed back into his fake form and, with a shrug, followed Sakura as she rushed out of Ravenclaw Tower in search of Syaoran.

Sakura found Syaoran near the Slytherin common room talking with some older students about the Heir of Slytherin. She called out to him as she drew near, "Syaoran-kun, I need you to help me look at something."

"Aww... you'd better go see what your girlfriend wants, Syoaran-KUN," one of the older boys taunted. This earned a glare from Syaoran at the boy, but he still took his leave.

"What's wrong?" Syaoran asked, hustling over to Sakura.

"You've seen those circles around Kero-chan and Yue when they transform, right?" Sakura began to explain.

"Uhh..." Syaoran hesitated. "Not really."

"Of course," Keroberos said. He rolled his eyes dramatically.

Syaoran shot Keroberos a look just as withering as the one he had directed at the Slytherin boy a moment ago. He added, "But I wasn't really looking before."

"Then take a look now," Sakura said. She brought the three of them into a random nearby empty room.

A quick glance inside showed it to be a classroom, as the vast majority of rooms in Hogwarts were. Sakura couldn't tell the subject of the class, though. It wasn't one she had ever been in before. The walls were covered with diagrams and mathematical formula which even a superficial glance showed were beyond her understanding. At least nobody else was there. That was the important thing.

Once inside, Sakura prompted, "Kero-chan?"

Keroberos transformed yet again with saying a word.

"You mean that circle thing that shows up below him?" Syaoran asked once it was over.

"Yes," Sakura said. "Do you know what that is?"

Syaoran turned his head to the side and squinted a bit. He then said, "I guess it's kind of like the compasses which sometimes appear back home."

Now that Syaoran mentioned it, Sakura did remember some magical symbol of some kind appearing under his mother back during the events surrounding that ghost in Hong Kong. Maybe it was related. Sakura asked, "Really? What do those do?"

"No idea. Nobody's ever really bothered to look too much into them. They just kind of happen sometimes," Syaoran said.

"Hoe..." Sakura lamented. Another lead which had ultimately proved to be fruitless.

A prolonged silence fell upon the room and continued to extend for several seconds. Keroberos took the opportunity to change back into his fake form once again. There was no way of telling what would happen if an unknown professor saw a giant magical lion facing two students in the classroom. Most of the staff knew of Keroberos, by reputation if nothing else, but in the blaze of sudden panic anything could happen. His transformation naturally caused the magic circles to appear under him once again, almost as a taunt to Sakura.

Syaoran broke the silence by asking, "So now what?"

A good question. What could they do? Sakura said, "I don't know."

Keroberos suggested, "Why don't you try making one yourself and see what happens?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. "What's that supposed to do?"

"I don't know. It's something, right?" Keroberos said back.

Sakura couldn't argue with that. She didn't really see the point. She had used the cards countless times in the past. However, she didn't have any other ideas.

After checking down the hallway to make sure nobody was coming, Sakura pulled the Key from around her neck and expanded it to a more useful form. She thought through what to cast. Something small in case somebody showed up. They were right by the Slytherin common room, rather than being in a remote hallway of Hogwarts Castle, so it was extra important to be careful. Something both small and benign so she wouldn't need to be too careful with her casting. She subtly palmed a card into her hand.

"Flower, make a bouquet for me. Flower," Sakura requested. Unlike usual, she went through very few of the ornate motions Tomoyo would insist upon and instead kept her movements to a minimum. Also, unlike usual, she was paying more attention to the ground and to her magic than to the card and its effect.

Sakura could feel her magic as it channeled through the Key and into The Flower, empowering the card and allowing it to manifest its substance and effect. Just like before. Just like always. She could see the magic circle under her but she couldn't tell how, or even if, it was related to the casting.

The Flower appeared and handed Sakura a large bouquet of pale cherry blossoms. Sakura took it with a thank you. The Flower than returned to its card form.

"Feel anything?" Syaoran asked.

"Not really," Sakura answered. She held The Flower out to Syaoran. "Do you want to try?"

"Sure," Syaoran said with a shrug. He had his jian in his hand in one blink of the eye, and asked The Flower to create a present for Sakura in two. Unlike Sakura, he used somewhat more flashy movements. They were more reminiscent of the showy castings he and Sakura had always done back in Japan. Sakura's eyes glanced to the doorway to confirm that it was still clear. Syaoran's casting climaxed with him stabbing into the card with his jian. Sakura had seen it before, but it still made her heart skip a beat in worry.

Now that she was paying close attention, several key differences in Syaoran's casting stood out to Sakura. An obvious one was the utter lack of circle around Syaoran. It was conspicuous in its absence, and it added both another clue and another layer of mystery onto what those circles were. There was also a slight strain on Syaoran's face for his efforts. He wasn't pushing himself, but it did seem to take more effort for him than the almost negligent way Sakura was able to summon The Flower.

Sakura didn't know what it all meant.

She was still pondering this when Syaoran handed her a bouquet of roses. She took it with a smile and a thank you. She slightly pricked herself on a thorn before she was able to adjust her grip.

"Feel anything?" Sakura asked.

"Not really," Syaoran answered.

"You didn't even have a circle appear under you," Keroberos said.

"Nothing felt like a circle either," Syaoran said. "It's like when I used The Time before, and everything else. The only thing I notice is the card."

Sakura felt the same way. Whenever she used a card, its presence would dominate the magic she was trying to cast.

"Maybe I should try making a circle without using a card," Sakura said after a flash of insight.

"It's worth a shot," Keroberos said with a shrug.

"How're you going to do that?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know, but magic's supposed to respond to what we want, right?" Sakura asked.

"I still don't get it, but sure," Syaoran said. Meanwhile, Sakura re-readied the Key. It was reminiscent of the random things she had tried two years prior.

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Watch," Sakura said. She didn't even bother saying anything as she visibly and forcefully swung the Key downward, trying to will that same shape around her that she had inadvertently created so many times before.

Without an obvious target, she could feel her magic casting about as it formed around her. Responding to her will, a magic circle appeared around her.

"That's the ticket," Keroberos cheered her on.

Bolstered by her early success and by Keroberos's encouragement, Sakura redoubled her efforts. She wasn't quite sure what she was doing, but she did it with vigor regardless.

Without the presence of a card to capture her attention, Sakura could feel a hint of something. It was subtle and would have been overwhelmed by the presence of a card, but without a card to distract her, Sakura could definitely feel it. She felt some indescribable kind of resistance to her efforts, but dedicated herself more to what she was doing. She wondered if it was anything like what Keroberos felt when he transformed. He never had any cards when he used magic. If this was what Keroberos went through when he changed then it was incredible. He always made it seem so easy.

"Whoa," Keroberos exclaimed.

Sakura pushed past that internal barrier only to feel another one appear. It was more imposing than the one she had just transcended. She wasn't sure what it all meant. She decided to relax and take stock to see what, if anything, had happened.

"Are you okay?" Syaoran asked. She could hear the shock and concern in his voice.

"I think so," Sakura hesitantly answered. She felt mostly fine, but she did feel bit off for some reason. She was more wondering why Syaoran had asked that. It wasn't the first question she had expected.

"So you don't feel anything wrong with this?" Keroberos asked from behind her. She felt him grab her somewhere. Oddly, she couldn't quite tell where.

"Not really," Sakura said. She turned around to see what Keroberos was doing. As she did so he kept pace with her, continuing to float just out of sight.

"What?" Sakura asked in response to Syaoran's snickering.

Syaoran didn't answer. He instead reached out and grabbed that same part of her that Keroberos had been holding. Whatever it was, it was loose relative to her torso. His holding it didn't stop Sakura from completing her turn and coming to face him and Keroberos. No wonder. He was holding her tail.

Her tail?

"Hoeee?" Sakura exclaimed. "Wh..wha..what happened?"

Keroberos answered, "It appeared when you were doing that circle thing. You didn't feel it or anything?"

"N..no," Sakura said in a panic. "What should I do?"

"Can you go 'nyao?'" Syaoran asked, moving his hand near his face in an emulation of a cat's paw.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura protested.

"Sorry. Sorry," Syaoran apologized. "We'd better go to the hospital wing. Pomfrey's got to be able to help. Wait here. I'm going to get you a robe or something."

Sakura's mind was a jumble, but she stayed in the classroom as Syaoran dodged outward. Time seemed to dawdle endlessly as well as blink by in an instant as her thoughts raced. What had happened? What if it was permanent? Madam Pomfrey would certainly be able to fix it. But what if she couldn't?

"Here, put this on," Syaoran said. He handed her a large robe. Sakura hadn't even noticed his return.

Sakura took the robe and put it on. It was long enough and heavy enough to mask her tail, which in turn was long enough to peek out from underneath her skirt. The feeling of her tail pressed against the heavy cloth was an odd one and stood out all the more for its unfamiliarity. Keroberos suggested Sakura raise the hood of the robe as well. Sakura didn't understand, but she did it anyway. The hood felt a bit odd. It was surprisingly small for the volume it appeared to have. It wasn't until she passed a mirror in the hallway that she realized her head had changed to be somewhat cat-like as well. She now sported some very visible whiskers, and her ears had migrated to the top of her head. Her ears were now both pointed and furry too.

They were two corridors out of the room on their suddenly very long trip to the hospital wing when their path crossed three other students. It was obvious that they were Slytherin students. The ties and house emblems on their robes declared that much. The leader of the trio was a tall boy with slicked-back blond hair. He had a chiseled physique, but that might be due more to his being flanked by two burly and somewhat unkempt boys in comparison. Sakura didn't recognize them.

Upon seeing Sakura and Syaoran, the leader started laughing. His two followers joined in moments later. He then asked, with an amazing amount of smugness in his voice, "Why not just dump your mudblood plaything? Hiding her won't do anything for the Heir, you know?"

"Sod off, Draco," Syaoran bit back. He barely slowed his pace.

"What's the matter, colony-boy?" Draco asked. He then caught sight of Sakura's face and broke out in another peel of laughter much louder than his first. "I see. Stupidity is catching. Too much time around Hermione, mudblood?"

Sakura could feel her face flushing and some tears threatening to fall.

"In that case you should ditch your friends. You can't afford to get any dumber than you already are," Syaoran said.

The two boys behind Draco moved the block the hallway and drew themselves up. This made them stand even taller over the relatively shorter Syaoran. Syaoran was finally forced to stop before he crashed into them.

Syaoran's sword appeared in his hand. He threatened, "We don't have time for this. Move."

"Is this what passes for manners out in Hong Kong? I was just trying to give some friendly advice with the Heir around and everything," Draco said. He stepped back and held his hands upwards in a placating gesture. It would have been more convincing if it hadn't been for the condescending look of innocence he feigned. "Craybe. Goyal. We've got better things to do than waste time with lover-boy."

The three of them stepped past Sakura and Syaoran. One of the larger boys roughly shoved into Sakura's shoulder as he passed by.

"After all I'm sure the Slytherins can't wait to hear what happened your mudblood girlfriend," Draco negligently called back behind him as he walked.

"Why you..." Syaoran said, turning to face the retreating trio. However, they had already turned a corner and were out of sight.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura said in worry.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it... somehow. Let's just go," Syaoran said, resuming their trip to the hospital wing.

The rest of the trip was much quieter, not in the least due to Syaoran leading Sakura through the less busy back passages of the castle. They made it to the hospital wing in short order. It still felt interminably long to Sakura.

The reception at the hospital wing was an odd one. Every time in the past Sakura had visited the hospital wing in the past, its door had been opened and she would just walk in. Madam Pomfrey would always be sitting in some corner of the mostly empty room and usually doing paperwork of some fashion or another. Not this time. The entrance was still open, but a large curtain had been drawn which blocked sight of everything except the area near the door. The curtain had been arranged such that everybody would immediately face Madam Pomfrey upon entering.

"What do you want?" Madam Pomfrey asked. It was much more terse than her regular professional but welcoming greeting.

"There's been a bit of an accident," Syaoran said.

"Well? What is it?" Madam Pomfrey prompted.

"I'd rather tell you in there," Sakura said. She kept her face low and hidden.

"I told you all already. Nobody gets in here without a valid reason. Can't you just leave the poor girl alone?" Madam Pomfrey declared loudly. Her voice projected into the hallway and down the corridors around Sakura.

"This is serious," Keroberos insisted.

Sakura took a quick look down the corridors to ensure the area was clear. She then pulled down her hood and said, "See?" As she pointed at her whiskers and ears, she could feel tears threatening to come out again.

With a shake of her head Madam Pomfrey sighed, "Another one?"

Another one? Another one what, Sakura wondered.

"Come in," Madam Pomfrey relented. She moved to the side to allow Sakura and Syaoran entrance to the hospital wing proper. For the most part, excepting the curtain, the room looked like normal. In one of the beds sat a bushy-haired girl with a pile of books next to her. She was too far away for Sakura to make out who she was or even what house she was in.

"So what's your story? Also drink some mysterious drink or something?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Nothing like that," Sakura said.

"Well, then, what happened to you? You'd best tell me the truth if you want to get fixed. You're the second one I've seen. This had better not be some new fad you girls are getting into," Madam Pomfrey said.

"I don't know what happened. There was this magic circle thing. We were just trying to figure out what it did and this happened," Sakura said.

"Playing around with unknown magic? Didn't your parents teach you anything?" Madam Pomfrey asked, shaking her head again. "No, let me guess. You also have muggle parents, right?"

Sakura nodded.

Madam Pomfrey took her wand out and gave it a quick swish over Sakura's head. Moments later she said, "Wait here. I'll go tell Professor Flitwick. Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall, too. If anybody can help, it'll be them."

Madam Pomfrey strode out of the room. Meanwhile Sakura's heart fell. She wasn't exactly on the best of terms with her head of house, and Professor McGonagall's warning at the very beginning of school echoed in her mind. She wasn't sure why Professor Snape was being called too, though.

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out for sure," Syaoran said. He hugged Sakura.

"Thanks," Sakura said. She suddenly had a thought to ask Madam Pomfrey to get Kaho as well. However by the time she had had the thought, Madam Pomfrey was long gone.

"What a time for Eriol to go missing. I'm sure he'd know what happened," Keroberos said. His thoughts apparently had taken a related but different track than Sakura's own.

Their talking must have caught the attention of the other occupant in the room. Sakura heard the girl call out, "So, what happened to you?"

Sakura recognized the voice but it still took her a moment to place it as belonging to Hermione. It had an odd timbre to it.

"It's... ahh... hard to explain..." Sakura said. She walked closer to get in easier talking distance. When she got near, she suddenly stopped and stared.

"You..." Sakura said.

"You..." Hermione said at the same time as well.

"What happened to you?" both chorused out.

In the corner of the room, surrounded by piles of books, sat Hermione. She also looked very much like a strange cat hybrid. In fact she appeared even more cat-like than Sakura herself did. In addition to the whiskers on her face and her tail, Hermione's eyes had an inhuman-slit in them which seemed to glow slightly in the light, and her skin was covered with dark fur. Whereas Sakura looked like a girl with some catlike features, Hermione looked more like a giant cat with humanlike features.

Seeing Hermione made Sakura feel a lot better. If Hermione was in the hospital wing rather than being sent somewhere like St. Mungo Hospital then it must have meant that she must be being treated in Hogwarts; and if Hermione could be treated then Sakura most certainly could be as well, seeing how much less changed she was than Hermione.

"You first," the Gryffindor girl said.

"Hoe..." Sakura said in thought. She wondered how much she should say. Then again, she had already told Madam Pomfrey most of it already. "I'm not really sure. I was trying to figure out what some magic circles did and then this happened to me."

"Magic circles?" Hermione asked. "What are they? Where'd you see them?"

"Around," Syaoran said evasively. "What about you? What happened to you?"

"I don't know. There was this drink I got over the holiday, and when I drank it, I ended up like this," Hermione said.

"A drink did that to you?" Keroberos asked.

"What was it?" Sakura added.

"Not sure. Ron gave it to me and told me to try it. It tasted terrible, like licking a cat or something. Next thing I know, I'm like this. Madam Pomfrey thinks it was a polyjuice potion, or something else Fred and George were playing around with. Apparently they stole some ingredients from Professor Snape's stores," Hermione explained. She seemed remarkably calm as she spoke.

"That seems like a pretty slimy thing to do to somebody," Syaoran said.

"He apologized," Hermione said with a shrug. She was surprisingly forgiving given the seriousness of the prank.

"So what's Madam Pomfrey doing for you?" Sakura asked.

"There's nothing she can do. She said it just needs to take its course," Hermione said.

The sound of running feet came from the hallway outside of the room. Moments later, Gloria came tearing around the curtain still blocking the hospital wing's entrance. 

"Sakura! Sakura!" Gloria called out as she made her appearance. "I heard all about it from... Hermione? What happened to you?"

The patter of feet didn't stop after Gloria had stopped in shock. It continued for a few more seconds before Lisa turned the corner as well. She was panting heavily. Lisa leaned down against her knees and looked up at Sakura and the others. However, Lisa was too out of breath to say anything.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and moved her tail a bit more out of view. She repeated, "Not sure. Probably a Weasley prank gone wrong."

"Oh. Is that why Percy's been like that since we got back?" Gloria asked. "I can't wait to tell everybody what's really happened to you."

Hermione looked mortified. She said, "Don't you dare."

"It's embarrassing," Sakura said in agreement.

"Fine, fine," Gloria agreed. She looked disappointed.

"What... happened... you... Sakura?" Lisa panted out.

Sakura exchanged a glance with Syaoran and Keroberos. As Gloria, and to a lesser extent Lisa, already knew all about the cards and Sakura's magical experimentation, she could tell them more. However, Sakura didn't want to do so in front of Hermione, nor did she want to talk in a venue where Madam Pomfrey plus professors were liable to return at any minute.

Sakura decided to summarize it by saying, "A lot of stuff. How did you two find out about it?"

"Gloria ran into me... in the hallway... and told me something... had happened to you," Lisa said. She was slowly recovering her breath.

"James told me. He said Draco was laughing about it in the Slytherin dorms and telling everybody who stopped to hear. He knew I knew you, so he came and told me," Gloria said.

"You know James?" Syaoran asked.

"He is my brother," Gloria said. "How do you know him?"

"It's kind of hard for me to not know one of the Slytherin prefects," Syaoran answered dismissively.

"Oh. Yeah. Anyway, he told me something happened to you so I came here as fast as I could," Gloria said.

It was as this point that a mess of adults entered the room. As could be expected, Madam Pomfrey was in the lead. Behind her, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Flitwick entered as well. Professor Snape took one look at Sakura and broke out with a scowl.

"It's not polyjuice potion," Snape growled out. Much like in his class, his voice managed to fill the entire room despite its seemingly moderate volume. "I told you. Kinomoto wouldn't be as idiotic as some people as to drink something from a Weasley."

Madam Pomfrey asked, "You're sure? Don't you need to..."

"It's obvious it isn't," Professor Snape said, cutting her off.

During that exchange, Professor McGonagall continued to approach Sakura. She waved her wand at Sakura. A blueish-whitish wisp of light emerged from the tip of Professor McGonagall's wand. It enveloped Sakura with no noticeable effect. Professor McGonagall then declared, "It's not an animagius transformation either."

"Like I said, Minerva," Professor Flitwick said, now right beside her, "there's no way a second-year could do that."

"Maybe, but it doesn't look like a transfiguration curse to me either," Professor McGonagall said.

"This isn't the work of dark magic. It wouldn't have botched the job so badly," Professor Snape said confidently. "So, Kinomoto, care to explain what you've done to yourself?"

Professor McGonagall interrupted, saying, "There's no need to take such an accusatory tone."

"It's not like Sakura could have done that to herself. It must have been a dark artifact of some kind," Professor Flitwick said. He slightly emphasized Sakura's name, even as he slightly mispronounced it as well.

"Now that I think about it, she had been asking me about some sort of circle pattern earlier in class. Sakura, does that have anything to do with what happened to you?" Professor McGonagall asked.

A chill went down Sakura's spine with that suggestion. As always, she still had the Sakura Cards on her person. While they didn't have anything to do with her current state directly, they did prominently display that magical symbol she had tried to describe to Professor McGonagall earlier. If she was searched, it was obvious what conclusions would be drawn. However, there was no way to safely hide the cards while under the watchful gaze of the professors.

The four adults were more looking at each other than at Sakura. They had tense looks on their faces. Despite that, Sakura still answered, "I don't know what happened."

"A likely story. Out with it. The truth, now," Professor Snape snapped back.

"Severus!" Madam Pomfrey chastised him.

"You've gone too far. Sakura's obviously the victim here," Professor McGonagall agreed.

"Very well," Professor Snape bit back. "As Sakura is 'obviously' the victim of dark magic, then why not consult our vaunted Defense Against the Dark Arts professor? Now if you're done wasting my time, I have an inventory I need to complete."

Without waiting for a response, Professor Snape strode out of the room. Behind him, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Madam Pomfrey all exchanged glances amongst themselves.

"Anyway, Sakura, what's this about a transfiguration circle or something? Why don't you tell us what you do know about what happened," Professor Flitwick suggested.

"I already told Madam Pomfrey," Sakura said.

"Yes, but I'd like to hear it in your own words," Professor Flitwick said.

"Hoe..." Sakura stalled, trying to think of what she would tell them. "I don't really know. There was some symbol I think was magic, and we were trying to see what it did."

"What symbol?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"It's hard to describe," Sakura said. She had thought about it more since trying to describe it to Professor McGonagall earlier, and she had a relatively good grasp of the image in her mind now. The two concentric circles, with lines crossing between the two. The star pattern in the center, different than the sun-like pattern that appeared beneath Keroberos when he transformed and that had been on the Clow Cards before she had converted them. But she certainly wasn't going to give any more information while she had the Sakura Cards with her.

"How about you, Syaoran? Did you see anything?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I did," Syaoran said.

"But it didn't affect you?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"Obviously," Syaoran said, almost rolling his eyes as he spoke.

"Where was it?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"It was just kind of glowing on the ground. That's why we knew it was magic," Syaoran answered. It conveniently avoided the more conclusive evidence that the circles appeared whenever Keroberos changed forms and seemed tied in some way to the cards Sakura had in her pocket.

"So you knew it was magic, then. Didn't your parents ever tell you to not play around with strange magic? Don't they have any sense in Japan?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Sorry," Sakura said. Syaoran looked far less contrite than Sakura felt.

Madam Pomfrey took a quick glance at Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick, the latter of which nodded back. She then said, "Very well. Follow me, Sakura."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"I need to search you, and I expect you don't want that to happen in front of everybody," Madam Pomfrey explained.

The shadow of fear in Sakura from earlier immediately exploded into a pit of dread. If they found the cards she wasn't sure what would happen. If she turned them over then they would probably be confiscated or destroyed. If she didn't turn them over then she might have a fight on her hands, if not worse. She quickly protested while shaking her head, "No, no, no, no, no."

"Come along, child, there's nothing to fear," Madam Pomfrey said. She then took Sakura by the arm and started dragging her to a side room. Sakura tried her best to not follow, despite being far smaller than the witch.

"Stop that," Syaoran insisted.

"Hold it. What'd do you think you're doing," Keroberos protested. He was still in his fake form, but that was liable to change if things escalated.

"Don't worry. You're mistress is in no danger. This will just take a moment," Professor McGonagall said.

"But she doesn't want to be searched," Syaoran said. All the while, Sakura was slowly being pulled farther apart from the others.

"That could just be the dark magic talking. Do you want her back to normal or not?" Professor Flitwick asked.

Sakura was in a panic by this point. Even if she could convince them to stop somehow, and she had no idea how she could do that, there was no way she could do it in time. Things were happening too fast. She thought of using The Mirror as a decoy, but under the gaze of the group and within the grasp of Madam Pomfrey, that was even less plausible than handing off the book and its contained cards to Syaoran for safe keeping.

Her eyes darted from corner to wall to corner. Even the ceiling and floor wasn't safe. She searched for something. Anything. Maybe Kaho would appear at the door and somehow resolve things. It remained empty. Maybe Eriol would appear from behind a curtain, unseen until now. No such luck. Maybe even Yue would fly in through a window and free Sakura from the situation. That was not to happen either.

The already thought-crushing panic within Sakura continued to grow until it felt impossibly oppressive. And then it grew even more. They were around the curtain now. If she was going to start a fight, then it was the right moment to do so.

And it was in that moment that something gave.

In retrospect Sakura would struggle to find the most appropriate analogy, and she would utterly fail to find one which truly captured how it felt. It was like a small hole piercing through a dam, causing the mass of water held back to quickly tear away the now feeble resistance. It was like the first bit of softness appearing in a block of butter in the microwave right before the whole thing melted in the blink of an eye. It was like using a card in reverse, where some trigger caused a heretofore normal feeling to feel like an enormous tension of magic which then rapidly drained away.

Regardless of the description, Sakura felt a great release of something in her.

Sakura reached up to her head to check. She felt her whiskers had disappeared and her ears had returned to normal. She could no longer feel that peculiarity which had been her tail either.

"That did it! Thanks, Madam Pomfrey!" Sakura exclaimed loud enough to demand the attention of everybody in the hospital wing.

"What?" Madam Pomfrey asked. She looked down at Sakura, and then her grip slackened in shock. Sakura wasted no time in seizing the opportunity. She pulled herself free and quickly hurried back to the group.

"You're back to normal," Syaoran said. He rushed forward to join her.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "How did she do that?"

"You'll need to ask Madam Pomfrey," Sakura said. She continued to walk briskly, not taking the risk of stopping and losing the momentum of the moment. "Come on, Kero-chan. Let's go."

"Right behind you," Keroberos agreed, catching up to the other two.

"Wait," Professor Flitwick said. Sakura didn't. "Don't you want to know what happened?"

"Not really," Sakura said. She did want to know, but not if it meant possibly having the cards be confiscated or having to have a big fight with the staff of Hogwarts to keep them.

"Wait for me," Lisa said. She hustled to catch up as well. Things were gaining speed, and Sakura thought she actually might be able to get out of the situation safely.

"Congratulations, Sakura. I'll talk to you later. I want to find out what happened to Hermione first," Gloria called out to Sakura. By this point Sakura and the others were at the door.

"Okay," Sakura called back. She then turned the corner and was out of sight. Once she had broken line of sight, she started running. She wanted to put some distance between her and the hospital wing before the adults could regroup and follow.

After turning two corners, Sakura took a quick look behind her to make sure they were alone. She then pushed the book with the Sakura Cards and the Key over to Syaoran. She didn't want to take any chances in case she were followed and eventually searched. Syaoran fumbled with the book for a second before hiding them on his person.

"So what actually happened to you, Sakura?" Lisa asked, slightly winded. They had only run about three corridors away, but it had been at a sprint. Even Sakura felt it slightly despite being in much better shape than her friend.

"There was this weird magic which turned me part-cat, but you saw what happened in the hospital," Sakura said. Concurrently she was also giving a significant look to Lisa and shaking her head, trying to convey that she wouldn't give more details until later.

"Okay," Lisa said. Sakura wasn't sure if she got the message or not.

As it happened, the four of them were not pursued. It wasn't until dinner that day that Professor Flitwick approached Sakura and made it clear in no uncertain terms that Sakura would report to the hospital wing and that she would be tested for any dark magic on her. Tensions were already high enough with talk of the Heir of Slytherin. Sakura might appear normal again, but some unknown magic had affected her, and she wouldn't be allowed to remain around the other students until they were confident nothing else was going on.

With a show of reluctance, Sakura did return to the hospital wing. Kaho came along this time as well, as did Keroberos. Syaoran stayed far away, keeping the cards and the Key far distant from the examination. The investigation was relatively fast, even if it was somewhat embarrassing at times when Madam Pomfrey had asked to examine Sakura's entire body for any marks or symbols. In addition to the more mundane tests, Madam Pomfrey had done a couple of charms with her wand and passed various inscrutable devices around Sakura for unknown purposes. Kaho's presence watching over it all and ensuring everything was in order was some comfort, though.

At last Sakura was pronounced normal and fit to return to the student body. Madam Pomfrey's conclusion was that Sakura had been the victim of an acute exposure to an unidentified but temporary curse.

Sakura took the official pronouncement with relief.

* * *

Last Updated: July 31, 2014


	11. Sakura's Second Valentine's Day

Chapter 11: Sakura's Second Valentine's Day

"Oh, and there's another one," Gloria said. She was forced to move to the side as a dwarf hustled through the spacious corridors of Hogwarts Castle. The dwarf's chintzy wings did nothing to slow him down; they merely had the effect of making it more difficult for Gloria to dodge out of the way. Only slightly more difficult. She barely missed a step as she continued to follow just behind Sakura. "Is it just me or is this Valentine's Day much crazier than last year?"

Sakura thought about the question as she continued on her way to the second-floor corridor where she was to meet with Syaoran. She couldn't actually remember very much from the previous year's Valentine's Day. The lead-up she certainly remembered, with her late realization of the pending date and the unknown deadline of preparing her chocolates for Syaoran. However, nothing on the day itself struck her as being especially memorable. In a way, that answered the question right there. She was certain that if her first Valentine's Day in the United Kingdom had been like this then she most certainly would have remembered it. If it had been this absurd, she certainly would have written about it to Tomoyo and Syaoran as well, like she had written to Tomoyo and the others this year. It seemed like the whole school had gone mad.

The Heir of Slytherin hadn't struck for months. It felt like the entire castle was tentatively trying to pretend like the whole thing had never happened. Almost as in rebellion against the weeks and months of fear, the school was abuzz with the activity and excitement of Valentine's Day. It made it so the day couldn't possibly be missed. This phenomenon had been championed by Professor Lockhart. During the run-up to the day, in each of his classes the professor would find some way of casually mentioning what his favorite candies were or recommending some particular singing valentine service. This culminated on Valentine's Day itself. Maybe a dozen or so dwarfs were to be found sprinting throughout the castle carrying bouquets of flowers, delivering boxes of chocolates, and serenading their designated targets. Given the way the dwarfs sang, the recipients of the singing could possibly be better described as victims.

Sakura's own preparations and the celebration she planned for Valentine's Day were mundane in comparison to the chaotic commotion which surrounded her. Relative to the madness engulfing the castle, Sakura's Valentine's Day in the Japanese tradition was positively benign. She had engaged the help of Kaho to arrange the use of the kitchen once again, and she had once again used it to cook the chocolates she would be giving to Syaoran. While she swore she had done things the exact the same way she had the previous year, her chocolates had come out substantially cleaner and smoother as compared to her first year at Hogwarts. The job well done gave Sakura a warm glow to her mood. She knew Syaoran would appreciate her chocolates regardless of their quality, but it was still a matter of personal pride.

Another dwarf barreling down the corridor forced Sakura to leap to the side before she could answer Gloria's question. Once she was clear, she said, "It's all Professor Lockhart's fault the place is so busy."

"Busy. That's not the word I'd use," Gloria said, untangling herself from that latest dwarf and picking herself up off the ground. The dwarf swore at her, but then picked up the crushed bouquet laying next to him and continued charging down the halls. Along the way he passed another dwarf who was singing at the top of his lungs at a girl he had cornered in an alcove.

Sakura hurried on, trying to get to the corridor where she had agreed to meet with Syaoran. Ironically they had arranged to meet near Professor Lockhart's office. With the way Professor Lockhart was flitting around the castle, it seemed like the safest place to be to avoid the chaos of the school. Hopefully it would be quieter there. It was hard to imagine it being noisier.

Towards the end of the hallway, near the main staircase, a quick glance to the side revealed Lisa and Wayne taking cover in a partially hidden nook. They tried to remain out of sight.

"Lisa? Wayne? What are you two doing here?" Sakura asked when she saw them.

"Sakura," Lisa said. She took hold of Sakura's arm and pulled her into the alcove. "Hide."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"It's a madhouse out there," Wayne said.

As if by magic, another dwarf appeared behind Gloria. In a thready baritone voice, he asked, "Oi! Are you Gloria Tarnen?"

"Yes?" Gloria answered with trepidation.

"I's gotta valentine for you," the dwarf said before loudly clearing his throat. He started to sing, "She's a ke.. ow!"

Rather than wait for the doubtlessly embarrassing so-called song, Gloria took the proactive step of pushing the small dwarf away. She told him, "Oh shove it."

"Oi! I'm just doin' my job here," the dwarf protested. He picked himself up off the ground. One of his tinsel-like wings had been crushed by the fall.

"Tell whoever sent you that he should be man enough to talk to me directly," Gloria said, looming menacingly over the dwarf.

The dwarf groused, but he did wander off.

"Awesome. I wish I could do that," Wayne said in awe.

"Do you think that Syaoran will be sending you a singing valentine?" Lisa asked Sakura.

Reminded of her upcoming rendezvous, Sakura pulled herself out of the alcove. Lisa was still holding Sakura's arm and thus got pulled out just behind her. As Sakura started walking again, a tingling feeling starting making itself known on her cheeks. While receiving a singing valentine would be a warm sentiment, no matter how bad the dwarf's actual singing was, Sakura knew she could do without the spectacle. Regardless, it didn't seem like the type of thing Syaoran would do. Sakura answered, "I don't think so."

Gloria fell in step beside Sakura, while Wayne decided to follow them rather than hide in the nook on his own. It was to them Sakura asked, "Who do you think sent that valentine to Gloria? Maybe Anthony?"

"I very much doubt it," Lisa said from just behind her with a laugh.

"Actually, where has Anthony been? I haven't seen him in months," Sakura asked. Sure she saw him practically every day at meals and in class, but she hadn't really spent any time with him for quite a while. In fact, the last time Sakura could honestly say she had spent any real time with the boy was back at Halloween. It was quite the change from the previous year when she would spend most of her days with him, Gloria, Lisa, and occasionally Wayne.

"He's probably been avoiding you, what with his crush and Syaoran being here now and all of that," Wayne answered.

"Hoe? Crush?" Sakura asked, confused. An image of Anthony pinned under a giant boulder sprang to mind.

"Are you saying that you did not know?" Lisa asked.

"No. Is Anthony alright? Should we visit him in the hospital wing?" Sakura asked.

"Hospital wing?" Gloria asked incredulously.

"You said he was crushed, didn't you?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, yeah," Gloria said with a roll of her eyes. It was matched by a similar roll of Lisa's and Wayne's eyes. Sakura knew what that look meant. There was some weird cultural thing going on that she didn't know about. "That's not what he meant. He meant that Anthony has a crush on you. He likes you."

"And I like him, and all of you," Sakura said. "That doesn't explain why he's been avoiding me."

"He doesn't just like you. He likes you," Wayne said, emphasizing the word. "Like Valentine's Day like."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She turned the idea around in her head a couple times before it clicked. So that was what all of that had been about. "But Syaoran's already my boyfriend."

"Did you not know? That is why he spent so much time with you last year," Lisa said.

"But Syaoran was my boyfriend back then too," Sakura protested.

"He probably thought he had a chance until Syaoran showed up," Gloria said.

"He has spending all his time with Terry and Michael recently," Lisa said.

"I see," Sakura said. She hadn't noticed any of that. It did explain some of things she had noticed. The thought continued to niggle at her, but she mostly ignored it as she approached Syaoran waiting just outside a door.

"Happy Valentine's Day," Syaoran called out in greeting.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura answered back. She held out the bag she was carrying and said, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Thanks," Syaoran said, taking the gift. He wasted no time in opening it up and trying one, declaring, "They're delicious."

"I told you so," Lisa said to Wayne, who didn't respond.

"Thanks. I got a lot of help from Professor Mizuki to get..." Sakura said, but then trailed off. Her explanation of getting the supplies and their subsequent cooking was interrupted as something distracted her. She had a puzzled look on her face as she asked, "Do any of you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Gloria asked.

"You mean that hissing sound?" Wayne asked.

It sounded strange. Not unlike the hiss from an open gas pipe, but not quite the same either. There was something of a rhythm to it, as if somebody were opening and closing the value in irregular patterns, but if that were the case then it raised the question of why they would be doing that.

"I started hearing it a little while ago. I'm not sure what it is," Syaoran said. "Now that you mention it, it's gotten a bit louder."

"Do you think we should tell somebody?" Sakura asked. It was definitely getting louder. "It might be a leaking..."

Supposition of what it might or might not be turned out to be utterly unnecessary. With a crash, the source of the sound revealed itself. A door two rooms further down the hallway smashed open, paving the way for something to erupt outward.

Sakura's first reaction was that it was green. Green and huge. It was already a couple of meters out of the room, and it kept slithering further and further out, revealing more and more of its scaly body. Slithering, like a snake. In fact the entire thing looked like a snake, only bigger than any reptile she had ever heard of before. And more malevolent too. Its forked tongue, which looked bigger than her arm, kept darting out of its gigantic fanged mouth as it turned directly towards the center of their group.

"That's a..." Wayne shouted from middle of the group before stopping dead. Sakura whipped to the source of the shout, only to see that the boy had been replaced with an incredibly lifelike stone statue.

Lisa let out an ear-piercing scream.

Gloria had her wand out and was moving to the side.

Sakura was bereft of ideas. She thought of her Defense Against the Dark Arts class this year, but nothing like this had ever come up. In fact, nothing much of use had ever come up throughout this year's class under Professor Lockhart. Thinking back to her first year, with Professor Quirrel, Sakura drew a blank as well. Regardless, she pulled out the Key and shouted, "Release!"

Syaoran had his sword in hand in the same moment. Keroberos had transformed to his true form in front of them as well.

"Shield! Protect us! Shield!" Sakura shouted, throwing out the appropriate card and summoning forth the magical protection.

With The Shield in place, Sakura chanced a pause to glance up at the enormous snake. Upon catching sight of the creature's baleful yellow eyes, Sakura felt the assault upon her defenses. They melted against the onslaught as quickly as an ice cube in the face of a blowtorch. Sakura immediately turned her sight away. The only thing she had gathered from her momentary glance was that the serpent was methodically, maliciously sliding towards them. Not slithering slowly, but certainly in no particular rush to reach them either.

"Come on, we've got to run!" Sakura shouted, quickly backing away.

"Oh, are you kidding? This is perfect. Wait until James hears about this," Gloria said. She moved forward towards the beast. She had her wand in her hand and waved it forward, shouting "Incendio!"

Without being able to see, there was no way for Sakura to tell if Gloria's spell had even hit the creature, let alone affected it. If it did, there was no sound to indicate it.

"Wayne! Wayne!" Lisa sobbed out. She clung to the statue of the Hufflepuff boy.

"Idiots!" Syaoran swore. He kept his eyes closed, but swung his sword up, shouting, "Kashin Shourai!"

At the same time Keroberos opened his mouth and shot out a fireball as well. Both shot outward. Moments later, the twin explosions of them hitting something, be it serpent or stone, could be heard. The only reward for their efforts were more hissing sounds which could have meant anything.

That left Sakura with no choice. There was no way she would abandon Lisa and Gloria, let alone Keroberos and Syaoran. She turned and re-advanced towards the creature. She carefully avoided looking at its face as she did so. By reflex she had the book with all the Sakura Cards in her hand. With barely a thought she pulled one out.

"Mirror!" she shouted, throwing it forward. That's when she hesitated. What did she want of the card? A distraction? An attack? A protector? She really couldn't say. In the end, she could only ask for one thing. "Help! Mirror!"

With another card, that ambiguity might have caused problems. However, The Mirror had always had more self-volition than the others. It activated without issue. The form of The Mirror appeared in front of Sakura, looking for all the world like her identical twin. Sakura wasted no time giving any explanations of the situation or giving any instructions. She didn't really have any good ideas anyway. She instead trusted in the card to understand and to use its judgment to help... somehow.

The only thing Sakura did give The Mirror was her wand. The Mirror immediately put it to use. Much like during their practice sessions with Syaoran and the others, The Mirror twirled her wand forward and shouted, "Ventus!" The Mirror was no more proficient with Sakura's wand than Sakura herself was, but it was better than nothing. Sakura would be using the Key and the cards, meaning she had no extra hands for her wand anyway.

A gust of wind blew forth in the general direction of the snake. Sakura couldn't tell if it had any effect, not daring to look at the serpent. It probably swept up the growing amount of dust and debris around the giant creature in a cloud. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

The various defense practice sessions Sakura had had with the others had always focused on human-sized enemies, of which this monster was neither sized like nor shaped like. Things which had somewhat worked against Syaoran, Luna, and the others somehow seemed utterly impractical against this monstrosity.

Bereft of any other ideas, Sakura resorted to what she knew. Without even bothering to say what her goal was, she threw out a card and summoned, "Firey!"

The childish figure of The Firey emerged from the card and proceeded to do the obvious. It flew forward in almost a geyser of fire. As it did so, Sakura could feel the draw upon her magic, tiring her. She had several cards out, including some of the stronger ones, and knew she was reaching her limit.

It was impossible to hear any reaction the snake had to the card. The hissing, if it had changed, was drowned out by the roar of noise in her ears from The Firey. The only way Sakura knew that Keroberos was doing more than standing like a statue was when a second fireball passed by her head, streaking in the direction of the monster.

The sounds of fire died down enough to be able to hear Gloria shouting out, "Reducto!" Sakura didn't recognize the spell, but the loud crash of something which punctuated the hallway was surely its result.

Sakura's attention snapped to Gloria. It was safe to look at her, rather than face the gaze of the giant snake. She had a look of triumph on her face. Sakura made it a note to ask Gloria later what she had cast, once they had survived this fight.

Gloria's look of triumph quickly took on a cast of despair. Through the dust high and high in the air, the enormous snake recover from its rearing back and snapped downward towards Gloria. It smashed into the remnants of The Shield, shattering it and eliminating the scant protection remaining.

"Protego!" Gloria cried, trying to summon the shielding charm they had practiced so many times in the past.

Keroberos tried to distract the beast as well, shooting several fireballs at the creature. It caused the serpent to rear back a second time. The Mirror joined in as well, casting the few hexes and curses they had learned throughout the months.

The serpent seemed to have no fear at all as the fireballs and spells impacted the side it, barely even leaving a mark on its scales. It charged forward again, its mouth wide open and surrounding the tall form of Gloria. The jaws snapped shut, and it climbed up again, leaving a blank space where the girl had been standing moments ago.

"Gloria!" Sakura shouted out, half in fear and half in despair.

Syaoran took more decisive action. While the giant snake had had its attention focused on Gloria, he had flanked it. Once he reached its tail, he raised his jian high and stabbed through the scales of the tail. It stuck fast, although it seemed like the creature barely noticed.

He then took out one of his paper ofuda, slapped it against the still embedded sword, and shouted, "Raitei Shourai!"

For the first time, an attack seemed to catch the attention of the snake. It thrashed about, giving an angry hiss as the lightning from Syaoran's attack struck it. It whipped its body and tail about in seeming pain. The tail hit Syaoran full in the chest, sending him flying through the air so far that he actually landed behind The Mirror and Sakura. Meanwhile, the monster's body's thrashing had the effect of smashing through the statue of Wayne, crashing through it as if it were made of paper mache and knocking Lisa to the ground.

Sakura's eyes naturally followed Syaoran as he flew through the air, landed behind her, bounced, and then tumbled to a stop on the ground. She cried out, "Syaoran-kun!"

"Wayne!" Lisa sobbed out as well.

"Hit it," was Syaoran's raspy reply.

Sakura snapped back around, throwing out another card. She shouted out, "Thunder! Hit the sword! Thunder!"

The wolf-like form of The Thunder pounced as quickly as a bolt of lighting, but it glanced against the side of the serpent. It just barely missed the metal target in the hide of the advancing monstrosity. The Thunder continued on its way, flying past and onward down the corridor, undoubtedly impacting some stonework out of sight.

"Protego!" The Mirror shouted, interjecting itself between Sakura and the serpent. It waved Sakura's wand in the practiced gesture of the shielding charm. With one fatal mistake. The Mirror hadn't averted its eyes. The serpent stared down at the card, glaring at it in the face. If its protective spell had any effect, it was no more obvious than Gloria's spell earlier. The instant their faces met, The Mirror dematerialized, returning to a card shape. Rather than hover like when Sakura had captured cards in the past, or even drift down like a more mundane card, The Mirror fell like the rock it now was and shattered on the ground. The creature advanced on, sliding through the rubble that remained of The Mirror.

Desperate and out of other ideas, Sakura tried something she had done by accident before. She swung the Key at her wand where it lay, abandoned by the destroyed card. She focused what remained of her magical power through it. The first and only time she had done it before had been by mistake with an old and shoddy broom, but now she was actively trying to overload her wand. As tired as she was, she wasn't sure what would have happened if she had tried on her own, but with the focus of the Key lending its aid to Sakura, her wand start to brightly glow before exploding in an earsplitting blast. Sakura couldn't hear the source, but two other blasts flew from behind her into the dust and debris left behind by the explosion.

All was still for a moment. The silence ringing in her ears only made things seem more eerie. It had been at a terrible cost, but for a moment she thought they might have succeeded in driving off the monster.

It was not meant to be. A shadow was all the foreshadowing there was before the creature re-emerged from the clouds of dust. There was a noticeably large and bleeding hole in its side and it still had Syaoran's jian stuck into its hide, but that didn't slow it down in the slightest as it advanced, just as deliberately, just as maliciously as before.

Sakura was too exhausted to react as its head also came out from the cloud. Its face showed the scars of battle. Some dark liquid was pouring down from where it looked like one of its eyes had been gouged out. On the other hand, the creature could obviously still see as it still possessed its other fearsome eye, which was intensely focused on Sak

* * *

Chapter 11: Sakura's Second Valentine's Day

"Oh, and there's another one," Gloria said. She was forced to move to the side as a dwarf hustled through the spacious corridors of Hogwarts Castle. The dwarf's chintzy wings did nothing to slow him down; they merely had the effect of making it more difficult for Gloria to dodge out of the way. Only slightly more difficult. She barely missed a step as she continued to follow just behind Sakura. "Is it just me or is this Valentine's Day much crazier than last year?"

Sakura shook herself as she tried to focus on what Gloria had said. Without realizing it, she had drifted off into a daydream. It had felt so real, though. It was like those prophetic dreams she would occasionally get, although those had typically happened only at night when she was sleeping. It wasn't fading away into the mists of half-forgotten memories, either.

Her moment of introspection was interrupted when a dwarf ran straight into her, crashing her to the ground and going flying himself.

"Oi! Watch it!" the dwarf shouted as he picked himself up. His tawdry wings were crushed. The dwarf took a second to half-straighten them before charging away.

"Watch it yourself," Gloria called after the dwarf. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

"I think so," Sakura said, even as she felt the opposite. The collision with the dwarf hadn't hurt that much, but something was wrong. Things didn't feel right at all.

She picked herself up, juggled the bag of chocolates she still held in her hands, and pulled out the book which held all of the Sakura Cards. She felt it, but she flipped through the cards regardless. She had to be sure. And she found it exactly where she expected she would. The Mirror, safe and sound in the stack. So why was she still so worried? Something was missing, she was sure of it.

"What's wrong?" Gloria asked. She was looking over Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura didn't answer. She instead flipped through the cards a second time, although she spent more of her concentration trying to feel what was missing than trying to see it. The cards were all similar to each other, but each was distinct with a specific recognizable feeling to it. She was only half-way through the deck when she realized what it was. It was one of her lesser used cards, due to the sheer amount of power it used if nothing else. It suddenly all clicked together.

"The Time!" Sakura shouted. She felt the card. It was in the rough direction of the corridor where she was to meet with, or had met with, Syaoran. Something was definitely wrong. She carelessly threw her bag of chocolates to the side to rid herself of the weight and encumbrance as she sprinted forward.

"Where are you going?" Gloria called after her, now running as well. Despite having longer legs, the Gryffindor girl still struggled to catch up to Sakura.

"There's no time! Take Lisa and Wayne and that dwarf and run away! Get Professor Dumbledore or something!" Sakura shouted, pointing to the alcove where she knew Lisa and Wayne would be hiding. It would have been easier to explain the situation to Gloria and the others, but there was literally no time. If she was right, that terrible serpent would attack in mere minutes. She had to get to Syaoran. To warn him, to recover The Time, and to escape before it struck.

Both Lisa and Wayne poked their head out of the alcove after their names had been called out. Lisa was the first to react, asking, "Sakura?"

"Just go!" Sakura shouted, sprinting past them and the dwarf which had turned the corridor and was now approaching.

"So you remember it too?" Keroberos asked from Sakura's pocket. "That kid must have succeeded in activating The Time."

Sakura didn't bother responding as she instead concentrated on running. In short order she reached the main staircase. Of course it was out of position. It always seemed to be out of position when she was in a hurry. She had no time to lose. She made a brief check to make sure nobody was around and then pulled out the Key. The Jump was out a moment later, and two moments after that she was on the second floor.

She continued down the hallway as fast as she could run, but was caught by surprise when she saw Professor Dumbledore approaching from the other direction. She hadn't seen him the last time they had passed this direction. His large and powerful strides took him forward at a considerable speed, almost as quickly as Sakura herself was moving despite his much more composed bearing. It was a bit of a dilemma. It would take time to get his help, but his help in saving Syaoran and dealing with the deadly serpent would be invaluable as well.

"Professor Dumbledore! Professor Dumbledore!" Sakura shouted from down the hallway, waving to him. "There..."

"Albus!" the familiar voice of Professor Flitwick called out from the other side of the hall. The half-goblin appeared in the corridor as well, running in an attempt to keep up with Professor Dumbledore. "Albus! What's gotten into you?"

"Calm yourself, Filius. My apologies for leaving like that," Professor Dumbledore said. "I believe young Miss Kinomoto here has something rather important to say?"

"Sakura?" Professor Flitwick asked, looking at the girl.

Sakura hesitated for a second in the face of the two professors, one of which was the headmaster himself, but only for a second. The situation was far too urgent and Syaoran was still in danger. She hurried out, "There's been... there's going to be an attack on the second floor, near Professor Lockhart's office."

"An attack? And just how do you know that?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"That's an interesting question, but it's much more important to put a stop to it, I'm sure," Dumbledore said. "Now, Miss Kinomoto, what can you tell us?"

"It's a giant green thing. It's... it's like a snake, but much, much bigger. And there's some kind of magic in its eyes, somehow," Sakura said.

Professor Flitwick said, "That sounds like..."

"An interesting story, to be sure. Probably the imagination of an attention-starved child," Professor Lockhart said. At some point, Professor Lockhart had appeared to the side of Sakura. He must have approached her from behind. It was a testament to how distracted she was that she hadn't noticed him until he had spoken, despite his ostentatious pink robes.

"You'd do well to pay attention, Gilderoy. Her imagination sounds remarkably like the monster from 50 years ago, and that description's never been published anywhere. Only the professors and the Heir of Slytherin knew what the monster was," Professor Dumbledore said, bolstering Sakura's claim. "This may finally be our chance to deal with it once and for all."

"Of course, but we can't ignore the possibility that she is the Heir and is trying to lure us into a trap," Professor Lockhart said, changing tact immediately without a hint of shame in his voice.

"Gilderoy, are you really suggesting that the Heir of Slytherin is a muggleborn Ravenclaw girl from Japan who is friends why how many muggleborn children?" Professor Flitwick asked, continuing the trend of speaking like Sakura wasn't there. Then turning to Professor Dumbledore, he asked, "Shall I get a rooster?"

"Whatever for, my dear little friend? This is a time for decisive action, not for playing around," Professor Lockhart said.

Professor Flitwick got a very cross look on his face. He asked, "You do know what this monster is, right?"

"Of course, and I'm not scared. It's not half as dangerous as that coven of vampires I faced, as I described in my book 'Voyages with Vampires,' top of the Daily Prophet's best selling list for two weeks straight," Professor Lockhart said with bravado.

"He's right. The legends are wrong. Roosters don't actually work. We tried them 50 years ago when we found out what it was," Professor Dumbledore said. Professor Flitwick had a look of surprise on his face, while Professor Lockhart practically preened from the support of Professor Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore! I think Syaoran's in danger too!" Sakura jumped in. All this talk was well and good, but time was wasting and they weren't getting to closer to Syaoran or The Time. She had had enough waiting around. If they weren't going to act, she was going to leave on her own.

"You're right, we must be off," Professor Dumbledore said. His wand was somehow in his hands before Sakura could blink and he waved it, casting, "Expecto Patronum."

Sakura recognized the charm from her studies of dementors and their counters, and the magical phoenix form which emerged from his wand came as no surprise. The glowing feeling of warmth felt vaguely familiar to her, quite similar to The Hope and exactly as she had expected.

Professor Dumbledore told the magical construct, "Go tell Severus, Minerva, and Pomona to gather all available professors and head to Gilderoy's office. Be cautious, as we are expecting an attack from the monster from the Chamber of Secrets in a few minutes."

What happened next Sakura didn't recognize from any of her readings on the subject. The phoenix shape flew off. None of her readings into dementors or patronouses had suggested anything like this. Clearly there was far more to this world of magic than what was widely known.

Professor Dumbledore then waved his wand and said, "Protego Maxima."

Sakura could feel the charm surrounding the five of them almost like a physical barrier. It wasn't as strong as The Shield, but it was the strongest spell she had felt yet from a wizard or witch in Hogwarts.

"Protego Maxima," Professor Flitwick cast as well, creating his own shield, which combined with Dumbledore's protection and made it that much stronger.

However, given Sakura's own experience against the fearsome glare of the monster, she feared it wouldn't be enough. She subtly palmed both the Key and The Shield, and silently impelled the latter to protect her and the others from all harm, especially from a giant green monster. She noticed as she did this that Professor Dumbledore gave a quick glance down at her, before turning back up.

"Shall we be off?" Professor Dumbledore suggested. He spoke as calmly as if he were suggesting they go on a nice afternoon picnic rather than head into the face of battle. Without waiting for a response, he then started walking forward. He walked with determination, but with slightly less speed than his long legs would have allowed. Sakura was thankful for this as she already had to jog to keep up with the pace Dumbledore set.

Professor Flitwick, with his short stature, had to break into a run to stay with the group, not that that seemed to bother him very much. Without any hint of labored breathing, he said, "I'm telling you, Albus, we should close the school down until we can find the Chamber of Secrets."

"I agree with you, Filius, but unfortunately Cornelius is of a different opinion. He's more worried about budget and reputation," Professor Dumbledore said. "And as for the Board of Governors, Lucius's opinion holds much sway there, and he wants to keep the school open for some reason."

"But there's already been several attacks," Sakura said.

"Yes, but everybody will recover. Cornelius is the consummate politician, and he is of the judgment that two boys, a cat, and a ghost being temporarily petrified is not enough to justify how a multi-year shutdown of Hogwarts will reflect on his government. Alas, we would be heavily dependent on his government to fund such an endeavor," Professor Dumbledore said.

"But what about next time? What if a student actually died?" Sakura asked. Or did die and had subsequently been brought back to life.

"Then I wouldn't care what any politician or what the Board of Governors would say. I'd close Hogwarts down and evacuate everybody until we could find the Chamber of Secrets and deal with its monster once and for all. The political fallout would probably result in my termination and Hogwarts being closed forever, so hopefully it won't come to that," Dumbledore said. He then added, "Oh, I see at least one problem is solved for you, Miss Kinomoto, for unless I'm very much mistaken, that is Kaho there with young Mr. Li."

Sakura looked forward to see Kaho walking down the hall, carrying an unconscious Syaoran in her arms. The Time was there as well, Sakura felt more than saw. She ran forward towards them.

"Professor Mizuki!" Sakura called out. "How is Syaoran-kun? Is he all right?"

"Syaoran will be just fine, I'm sure. I'm taking him to the hospital wing so he can recover," Kaho said. None of the other professors interceded or interjected as she continued to carry Syaoran away, back towards the main stairwell Sakura had just come from.

Sakura turned her head back and forth between Syaoran and Professor Dumbledore, torn with indecision. On the one hand, she wanted to do what she could to make sure that monster didn't hurt anybody else. She was also curious how somebody like Professor Dumbledore fought a creature who shrugged off her strongest spells with barely any notice. On the other hand, she was desperately worried for Syaoran.

In the end, Syaoran won out. It wasn't even close.

"Sorry, I can't come too," Sakura apologized. "I want to go see how Syaoran-kun is."

"Sorry, nothing. You're just a child. There's no way you'd be allowed to come with us anyway," Professor Flitwick said.

"Fear not. I'll be sure to tell you all about my triumph against evil in our next class, Sarkarar," Professor Lockhart said, nudging her away.

Sakura gave one last look to the three of them, then hurried back after Kaho and Syaoran before they disappeared from sight.

For once the insolent nature of the moving stairs worked to Sakura's advantage. She was able to catch up to Kaho on a landing, just before the stairs locked into place. She asked, "How is Syaoran-kun."

"It's hard to say. I think it's just a case of over-exhaustion. It's obvious Syaoran turned back time. Everybody with any magical sense would have felt the effects. There's this as well," Kaho said, reaching into a pocket and handing The Time back to Sakura. "It doesn't make sense, though. He's used The Time before without this much of an effect."

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura lamented. "He did it to save me, and the others."

"Save you? What do you mean?" Kaho asked.

"There was this monster," Sakura described. "It was like a giant snake, with magical eyes. It attacked us. It killed Wayne and Gloria... and me, I think." She wondered if she should mention The Mirror as well, but before she could decide, the moment had passed.

"I see," Kaho said thoughtfully. "If that's true then it would make more sense. In that case, I fear that it may take a long time for him to recover."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"Syaoran has defied death. You can't expect that kind of action to be without consequences," Kaho said.

"Hoe..." Sakura lamented.

They reached the hospital wing in short order. In the time since Sakura's last visit the privacy curtain had been removed and the hospital had returned to its ordinary state. Madam Pomfrey was sitting at a desk doing paperwork. The only other inhabitant of the room was some boy who sat at a bed. He was a Hufflepuff boy Sakura didn't recognize, although her attempts at recognition were hampered by the fact that his head was on his body backwards.

"Good afternoon, Poppy, I fear that I may need to borrow one of your beds," Kaho said, announcing their entrance.

"Good heavens," the woman exclaimed. She approached quickly, but not in an alarmed rush. "What's happened to him?"

"Nothing too serious. Just magical exhaustion," Kaho said.

"Magical exhaustion. Right..." Madam Pomfrey answered incredulously. "Funny. Now what's really wrong with him?"

"No, really," Sakura said, trying to bolster Kaho's assertion. She'd felt the bone weariness herself in the past after overexerting herself, such as after her final confrontation with Eriol after she had successful converted of The Dark and The Light into Sakura Cards. She also had seen how Syaoran had been after he had used The Time in the past to save her from The Return, even if these symptoms didn't quite match that time.

Kaho took the opportunity to lay Syaoran onto one of the beds.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. He probably has consumption too, and a bout of the vapors," Madam Pomfrey said. She had her wand out and was pointing it at Syaoran. "I know Sakura likes to make up stories, but I expected better from a professor, Kaho."

"I know you don't believe in magical exhaustion, but it's true," Kaho said.

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey said with a sigh and a shake of her head. She asked, "If that's the case, then what do you want me to do with him? Bleed him?"

"No. All we need is a bed to put him in," Kaho said.

"Then why not take him back to the Slytherin dorms?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"He'll likely not wake up for quite some time, and they'll not have the facilities to make sure he's fed and kept clean," Kaho explained.

"Very well. How long is 'quite some time' expected to be?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Probably a few days," Sakura said.

"More like weeks," Kaho said.

"Weeks?" both Sakura and Madam Pomfrey exclaimed.

"Like I said, you can't expect it to be without consequences," Kaho said.

"Hoe..." Sakura lamented.

* * *

Last Updated: August 21, 2014


	12. Sakura's Interminable Wait

Chapter 12: Sakura's Interminable Wait

Sakura had expected a resolution of some kind in the days which followed Valentine's Day.

The triumphant announcement of the defeat of the horrible creature would have been one such resolution. There would be a dramatic declaration of some sort, in Professor Lockhart's class if nowhere else. It was almost unthinkable that Professor Lockhart wouldn't have announced his undoubtedly heroic victory in a suitably grand way there.

Or possibly the battle had gone the other way. Maybe there had been some crushing defeat of some kind after a disastrous fight. Sakura herself had experienced how overwhelming the monster had been. It was possible that if she had been at all prepared or had been thinking more clearly then she could have done much better. She had relived it over and over in her head, asking herself why she hadn't used The Small, or The Illusion, or The Dark, or The Arrow, or even The Snow. There were countless of things she could have done to much greater effect than what she had actually done. But even if she had been prepared, such as the professors had been, the beast had been rightly frightful. Maybe some of them had been injured or killed.

But neither of those things had happened. No announcement of either type was announced. No resolution of any kind occurred.

In fact, the only thing which even vaguely resembled a conclusion from her encounter with Professor Dumbledore and the others on Valentine's Day occurred in class with Professor Lockhart the day after, and that had been so subtle as to be entirely miss-able. Professor Lockhart hadn't told the undoubtedly marvelous story he had promised of his fight with a giant serpent. He had given an impressive story, to be sure, but it was the same story of his fight with that vampire family that he had told countless times before. Class had been the same as every other one before it, excepting the most peculiar way Professor Lockhart had looked at Sakura. For just a moment. It passed by so quickly that Sakura could almost convince herself that she had imagined it.

Given the lack of resolution in Professor Lockhart's class, Sakura worried if he or some other professor would confront her at some point. Maybe the monster hadn't appeared after all, presenting itself in a position ready to be struck down by Professor Dumbledore and the staff of Hogwarts. Maybe the professors had stood there in tense boredom for who knew how long, fuming at the Japanese girl for wasting their time. Sakura was afraid she might be punished for some misunderstanding of a prank or something. But even that hadn't happened.

No closure came at all. There was no indication throughout the school that anything had happened at all on Valentine's Day besides the chaos caused by too many poorly sung valentines. Even Professor Lockhart started acting normally again once his class began, and Sakura was too worried what might happen if she were to ask him or any of the others professors what the conclusion on Valentine's Day had been to actually inquire. If it weren't for Syaoran being unconscious, she could have been convinced that the entire episode had all been in her imagination.

Much like the attack itself which had now never happened, the main highlight in the days and weeks since Valentine's Day had been what hadn't happened. There hadn't been another assault on a student. Syaoran hadn't woken up. There hadn't been an announcement of a dramatic battle of professors against monster. Really nothing much had happened at all.

What it all translated to was that time passed by very slowly. Sakura didn't know the exact cause why it felt so slow. Maybe it was because she was worried about Syaoran and wanted news that he was all better. Maybe it was because Syaoran's absence meant that there were fewer things for her to do in her spare time. Maybe it was some combination of the two.

Regardless, time passed by as slowly as her first year at Hogwarts. Maybe even more slowly than that.

Each day Sakura would visit Syaoran and sit by his bed, talking to his non-responsive figure. She would tell him about her day and how she hoped he would recover soon. Sometimes she would spend the whole evening with him, doing her studying there with the chocolates she had made for him still sitting on a table beside his bed. Gloria had recovered the bag Sakura had carelessly tossed aside and had returned them them to Sakura. The bag was crumpled and the chocolates inside were probably cracked and going stale, but they were still there, waiting for the day Syaoran could accept them.

Even while spending as much time as she could by Syaoran's side, Sakura still had more hours in the day to fill than before. Madam Pomfrey had seen to that. If Sakura had had her way she would have spent most, maybe all, of her free time watching over Syaoran's. However, the matron of the hospital would not allow that. After the first two days, Madam Pomfrey had started enforcing rather strict visiting hours. This meant that Sakura could only spend at most an hour a day in the hospital wing. It was just enough that she didn't go into too much Syaoran withdrawal, but it still left her with the majority of nights and weekends to herself. It also gave her a taste of the fairly busy traffic which would come and go visiting Madam Pomfrey. Students entered with all sorts of maladies, ranging from the exotic to the incredible.

Without Syaoran around to distract her, a welcome distraction to be sure but a distraction nonetheless, Sakura was able to make some major progress with her experiments on her skates. It hadn't been fully without cost, though. One trial had ended up sending Sakura to the hospital with a broken nose. But Madam Pomfrey had been able to fix it with literally two shakes of her wand. It had also been a good excuse to visit Syaoran outside of visiting hours, so it hadn't put Sakura off of her any of her tests and trials with the magical circles, the Sakura Cards, her wand, and her skates.

It was yet another reason on the already uncountably long list of reasons Sakura wanted to Syaoran to wake up. She couldn't wait to share everything that had happened in the weeks he had been unconscious.

And wake up he would. Sakura was sure of it. More than that, she was sure when he would wake up, too. It was part of what made the wait for him more of an annoyance than anything nerve-wracking. Syaoran would wake up on March 14.

On White Day.

Sakura was certain of it. It was just too right.

White Day was four weeks after Valentine's Day, one week for each person Syaoran had saved: Gloria, Wayne, The Mirror, and Sakura herself.

White Day was the symmetrical counterpart to Valentine's Day. Girls would give chocolates to boys on Valentine's Day, and boys would return the favor on White Day.

Syaoran had fallen unconscious on Valentine's Day, and he would wake up on White Day. It was as simple as that.

It was perfect. It made too much sense. Syaoran had to wake up on White Day.

Knowledge of this was what kept Sakura's spirits up during the weeks which had passed since that dreadful day.

She hadn't fully recovered from the attack by any stretch of the imagination. She still reflexively clutched the Key at the most random of sounds, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was always being watched. But all of that would change on White Day. She was sure of it.

Her mental calendar ticked the days off one by one as time went by. Each day brought her that much closer to the highlighted date. It was fast approaching, and the thought of it lightened her heart. She couldn't wait to be with Syaoran again and to tell him what she had accomplished in the past few weeks. She was far more cautious than she had been before. She paid close attention every time she created a magic circle, trying to avoid another accidental transformation. In spite of this new caution, Sakura had managed to stumble across a major discovery. She had happened to discover she could use her wand as some kind of esoteric writing utensil to some effect. The constant stream of magic from her wand allowed it to leave behind uniform traces of magic on the things she drew it across. How that could be used, though, was what she was in the process of trying to find out.

Her current experiments leaned heavily on the Sakura Cards, and on The Fly in particular. She could see broadly the more prominent swaths pictured on the card, and she was trying to mimic them as best she could on her skates. The Fly was the closest source of inspiration she had for her particular goals. The details of the card were beyond her, but she could both see and feel in large strokes the paths her magic took when she used the card. What she couldn't copy, she just made up. Like her practice over the summer, Sakura could feel an intuitive feel of... something, and she simply followed her instincts. So when she got the impulse she would etch a small circular pattern, or a frill, or a flourish. She simply trusted her feelings.

The first indication she might be on to something was when she was able to use the skates to drift from table to table before the magic on and in them crashed apart. Thereafter, refinement after refinement had resulted in her being able to float across the whole room, and then circle laps around the confined space she was experimenting in. That had been when she had broken her nose, running into a stone wall at full speed. Her helmet had prevented any more serious injury, but it had still hurt. It had hurt a lot. It had also required a repair charm to fix her helmet.

It was a few days before White Day before Sakura finally felt confident enough in her creation to take them out of the practice room she had taken to doing most of her experiments in. The room was full of tables and convenient hand-holds, which made it good for her short runs back and forth as she progressed. But now she felt like she was finally ready for something more serious.

She donned her knee-pads, elbow-pads, helmet, and skates. The bright whites and pinks stood in stark contrast to the dark and loose school robes she still wore. She could immediately feel the slight pull towards her feet. It was hard to describe, but it was unmistakable. She climbed to her feet and slowly rolled towards the door.

Despite the rough and irregular stonework beneath her, Sakura slid forward as if it were impossibly smooth pavement. It was as smooth as if she were using The Fly. It was even more smooth than that, considering the slow speed she was traveling.

Once Sakura reached the door, she took a deep breath, pulled the door open, and then rolled out into the corridor. Keroberos flew above her shoulder, just behind. He had learned the dangers of traveling in her pocket with this unproven form of transportation.

Sakura started slowly, not even moving at a walking pace. She hadn't tripped yet despite the change of scenery. That was a good thing. As she continued forward she gained confidence and sped up. First to a saunter, then to a jog, then to a pace which even a sprinting Gloria would have had a hard time matching. As she did so, she could feel the pull from her now magical skates increasing.

By this point, she was traveling so fast that she could only give a quick hello to bystanders before she was past them. It was only Sakura's long experience skating, slightly rusty but much recovered in her practice in the classroom, that allowed her to dodge around the people she barely had time to even recognize. A pair of Slytherins here, a trio of Hufflepuffs there, Fred or George talking to Percy. The latter gave some shout and started to chase her, but she was around two corners and out of sight in a blink of an eye. It wasn't until she was around the last corner than she realized her mistake.

The main stairwell was suddenly upon her.

She frantically tried to stop. Not soon enough, though. With more momentum than she wanted to have, which was to say she was still moving forward, she launched off the edge of the landing and down the moving staircase.

Surprisingly, she didn't stumble. Unexpectedly, the magic in the skates smoothed out the numerous steps and made it feel more like a hill than a flight of stairs. Granted a particularly steep hill, which caused Sakura to rapidly pick up speed despite her best efforts. A quick glance forward revealed a more immediate problem too. The stairs were still moving, and they were currently ending in mid-air, pointing at the opposite corner of the stairwell.

Sakura reflexively had the Key in her hand, shouting "Release!"

The Fly was in her hand before she flew off the end of the stairs and into the empty air.

Not that it proved necessary. Rather than plummet straight to the ground as she had feared, Sakura continued her descent at a rapid but not breakneck speed. It was another unexpected result of her newly created magical skates. She certainly wouldn't used the verb drifted, but she ended up landing on the landing diagonal across the stairwell only two floors lower than where she had started, rather than at bottom of the stairwell in a broken heap.

She landed rather heavily. More interestingly and embarrassingly, she landed directly on top of Luna.

Sakura reflexively gave a cry of pain from the landing as Keroberos flew down to float just behind her.

"Wow..." Luna simply said, seemingly oblivious to any pain and to the fact Sakura was sprawled out on top of her.

Luna might have been oblivious to that, but Sakura certainly wasn't. She scrambled off as fast as she could, apologizing profusely as she did so.

Luna declared as much as asked, in her normal absentminded way, "You can fly?"

Sakura hesitated, not quite sure how to answer the question. On the one hand she could. On the other hand, that wasn't quite what she had just been doing. Answering the question either way was liable to be misinterpreted by Luna and spawn yet another wild bout of speculation.

"Not really," Sakura ended up hesitantly saying.

"But you are," Luna countered, still sprawled out on the ground. Sakura looked down. Upon closer examination, such as from the angle Luna watched her from, it was clear that Sakura was hovering ever so slightly off the ground.

"That's not me, it's the skates. They're magic," Sakura explained. She had made them magical herself, not that she actually knew all that they were capable of, as she was rapidly discovering.

"Wow..." Luna said again, climbing to her feet. "What are skates?"

The question took Sakura by surprise. She had assumed everybody knew what skates were. She quickly recomposed herself, as she was in a habit of doing whenever she spoke with Luna, and pointed down at her feet, explaining, "These are skates."

"They're kind of a muggle toy, but these ones are magic and they float," Keroberos offered as way of explanation.

"I see," Luna said. "Can I try them?"

Sakura looked up at Keroberos, who shrugged back.

"Sure," Sakura said, showing none of the reluctance she actually felt. She didn't mind Luna actually trying them out as such. The only thing she was worried about was, as she warned, "Be careful. They're kind of new and I don't know completely how they work."

Sakura carefully knelt down and unstrapped her skates. That she was slightly hovering meant that she needed to be a bit more careful to maintain her balance as she did so. Irrespective of that, she had them off in a moment without too much difficulty. She undid her helmet and pads as well, handing them to Luna one at a time.

Luna donned the safety equipment without saying a word of question. She then started to put on the skates. Sakura was about to stop her and tell her she had to take off her shoes first before Sakura noticed that Luna wasn't wearing any.

"What happened to your shoes?" Sakura asked.

"They disappeared this morning," Luna said.

"Did the nargles take them again?" Sakura asked. She knew that Luna had received a few new pairs via owl over the past few months.

"Not this time. My roommates hid them," Luna said. "Do you snap this thing on here?"

"They what?" Keroberos asked.

"That's terrible," Sakura agreed.

"I'm sorry. Then how am I supposed to put it on?" Luna asked, undoing the strap on the skate.

"Not that. You did that right. I mean you roommates hiding your shoes," Sakura said.

"That's all right, I'm sure they had a reason for it. Maybe they wanted to find the nargles too but their shoes didn't works. Like my mum always said, the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end," Luna said, as unperturbed as always, and speaking as detached as if she had been talking about what she had had for breakfast. In fact, Sakura wondered if anything ever perturbed Luna. Given their discussion back during Halloween, Sakura was sure things did, but Luna had a strange way of showing it.

With that, Luna tottered up to her feet, thoroughly protected and equipped to go forth. She seemed much less anxious than the first time Sakura had tried the mundane version of them years ago. Luna then asked, "So how does this skates work?"

As Luna didn't seem to want to talk about her shoes being stolen, Sakura decided to let it go. She instead explained, "You kind of push with one foot off against the other, like this." Sakura demonstrated with her own feet, holding her left foot mostly perpendicular to her right one and swinging it freely in the air.

"Like this?" Luna asked. She pushed off in a similar way and started to drift down the hall. She followed with her right foot and was already moving at a reasonable speed before Sakura could catch up.

"Just like that," Sakura said, walking quickly to keep up with the girl. Truth be told she was a bit envious of Luna. Sakura herself hadn't been as adapt with the skates the first time she had tried them. It seemed like Luna was a natural.

"This is fun," Luna said, pushing one foot off against the other. Now that Sakura could see somebody else using the skates, she realized how odd it looked. At first blush it looked fine, but something caught her eye as being a bit off. It was only when she looked closer that she saw how Luna floating just off the ground, surrounded by the paths of magic Sakura had embedded in the skates with her wand, made everything look just a bit strange. It distracted Sakura enough that she almost missed Luna saying, "Muggles like to do things the hard way, don't they?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Keroberos asked.

"It feels like I'm bursting with a big secret I can't tell anybody else," Luna said.

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"How do you stop?" Luna asked. She had somehow managed to turn around and was now skating backwards to talk to Sakura. It had taken Sakura weeks to figure out that particular technique.

"You just..." Sakura started explaining.

"Watch out!" Keroberos shouted.

It was too late. Luna, still traveling backwards at a fast walking pace, ran bodily into the hunched over figure of Mr. Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts. She went straight over his back and flipped a full 360 degrees in the air only to land on her feet. For a long second it looked like Luna might actually recover herself, but in the end her feet flew out from under her and she landed hard on the ground.

Mr. Flich stood to his full height with an angry scowl on his face. In an ominous voice, which could have even been malicious, he asked, "So what do we have here, hmm?"

Sakura wasn't sure what to say. The responsibility was taken off of her shoulders when Luna blithely said, "Two Ravenclaw girls and a not-heliopath, sir. You should have your nose checked. Unexpected blindness is one of the main symptoms of a Luaries infestation."

"I can see fine," Mr. Filch snapped back at Luna.

Before Mr. Filch's temper could take the predictable path in the face of talking to Luna, Sakura decided to intercede. She explained, "They're skates, sir."

"They're a muggle toy," Luna explained. It might have been more convincing if she weren't still floating just off of the ground as she said this.

Mr. Filch snapped out, "A likely story. Sneaking around with forbidden things, I'm sure. Right. Off with them."

"They aren't on the list of forbidden items," Sakura protested. She hadn't checked, but she couldn't imagine anything as innocuous as skates being on them.

"I don't care. Right now," he snapped.

Luna removed the skates, as well as the pads and helmet, and handed them all over to Mr. Filch.

"Not so clever now, are you?" Mr. Filch said, still in that grating voice somewhere between ominous and malicious. He stalked off, leaving behind the bucket and rags he had been using.

"Sorry for having your toy confiscated," Luna said as the three of them started wandering vaguely in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower. She didn't actually look very sorry.

"That's okay," Sakura answered. She was a bit disappointed, but not as much as could be expected. Her original goal of making it so she could use those skates at Hogwarts had been achieved. The only reason she was even slightly disappointed was that she had wanted to find out what else her creation could do. And show them off to Syaoran, of course. But seeing how Syaoran would be awake again in the following week, Sakura found it difficult to be too disappointed with anything at the moment.

"That reminds me. You're almost a muggle, right? What do you think of this?" Luna asked, pulling a folded newspaper out from one of her pockets.

Sakura wasn't sure what she was more taken aback by. The fact that she was called almost a muggle, that somehow Luna had been reminded of that fact for no reason Sakura could see, or that she had had a newspaper shoved right in front of her face. Somehow despite the time she had spent with Luna, Sakura was still regularly confused by the girl's actions.

On the other hand, Sakura had gotten substantially better at recovering from her regular forays into bafflement. She simply took a step back and took the newspaper in her hand. The title proudly declared the paper as The Quibbler, as Sakura had expected. Also as expected, the paper was unsurprisingly surprising. On the center of the front page, underneath the headline "FLOPPERGUMP FEAR GRIPS CITY," was a large picture of what looked like an ordinary road.

Sakura stared at the newspaper, trying to figure out what she was supposed to react to. The only thing which struck her as odd was the fact that the picture showed not the slightest hint of movement. The stillness felt almost as out of place in the magical newspaper as a moving picture would be in a muggle one.

After several seconds, Sakura gave up and asked, "What do I think about what?"

"The floppergumps," Luna said.

"What are floppergumps?" Sakura asked.

"Those," Luna said, pointing to one of the traffic cones which lined the empty road.

"You mean the torafukku coon?" Sakura asked back.

"Is that what muggles call them?" Luna asked as they walked back to Ravenclaw Tower. "What are they going to do about them? Their numbers keep multiplying, and they appear and disappear at random. Are you afraid?"

"Should I be?" Sakura asked.

"All of the muggles in London seem to be. They got rid of that roofer woman and put in a military person as prime minister to fight them. He even set up some flaming line so people could Tellytone in to report outbreaks," Luna said.

"That doesn't make any sense," Keroberos said.

"Why not? Many animals are afraid of fire," Luna said.

"No... I mean yes... I mean they aren't animals," Sakura said.

"They aren't animals? Then what are they? Minerals? That would explain why they show up more around those holes in the rock," Luna mused. The way she spoke made it difficult to tell if Luna was talking to Sakura or talking to herself. Sakura assumed Luna had been addressing her.

"They're torafukku coon," Sakura tried to explain again. "They're made of... I don't know the English word for them, but in Japanese it's purasuchikku. Muggles make them."

Luna nodded but didn't say anything in response. Sakura took that as a cue to continue explaining.

"They're put out so people can see them. They're like warnings," Sakura said.

"So they are a danger," Luna interrupted.

"No. They're just things to get attention, so people know. Like if there is a hole in the ground, or if a road is blocked off for work," Sakura said. "They don't really do anything themselves."

"If you say so," Luna said. "I don't really believe you, but I'll tell my dad what you think." Luna briefly paused. "I don't think he'll believe you either."

"Hoe..." Sakura said.

By this point, all three of them were at the entrance to the Ravenclaw dormitories. Sakura stepped up and gave the knocker a sharp rap. The knocker obediently opened its mouth and riddled, "Why must the hair of a unicorn be willingly given for a wand?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. That would be a problem. She hadn't yet had any classes or discussion about the practice of wand creation. She took a quick look to Luna, who stared owlishly back at her. No help there.

She thought back to the informal discussions she had had with Eriol way back when about wands. The only thing which stuck out in her mind, besides the weird elongation and twisting he had done to actually create her wand, was that her wand was different than the Key. It had some core which generated magic which was under only limited control by the wielder.

Sakura took the best guess she could, and asked as much as said, "If it's taken by force then the magic of the hair won't follow the wishes of wand user?"

"Incorrect," the knocker said, then fell silent again.

Sakura gave a sigh of frustration. She turned to Luna and asked, "You want to give it a try?"

Luna shrugged, then walked up to the knocker and gave it a rap as well. It asked, "An elder wand will have what types of properties?"

"It will be older than another wand," Luna said back.

"Incorrect," the knocker said again, then fell silent.

Luna didn't give up. She said back, "Yes it is. Otherwise it'd be a younger wand, or an only wand."

Sakura agreed with Luna's assessment, not that it did any good. It wasn't like the knocker would change its judgment.

As expected, the door stayed silent in response. Several seconds later the familiar voice of the knocker surprisingly announced, "Well reasoned." The door then opened up, leaving the way to Ravenclaw Tower clear.

"You can argue you way into the dorms?" Sakura asked.

"Naturally," Luna said, making her way into the Ravenclaw common room. "Doesn't everybody know that?"

"I don't think so," Sakura said. She hadn't known that. She was relatively sure nobody else knew that either. It did make some sense, though. The main characteristic Ravenclaw espoused was wit after all.

The Ravenclaw common room was relatively quiet, as it almost always was. There were a couple of students here and there poring over their books. The main source of noise was a group of older students in the corner playing a game of exploding snap. The occasional quiet explosion, muffled by the distance and the out-of-the-way location they had chosen, punctuated the silence of the room from time to time.

Primed as she was, Sakura immediately noticed the slightly charred and partially melted traffic cone on a table to the side. A large sign on it said, "Floppergump - Do NOT Touch." It had been there for months, but Sakura had never paid much attention to it before now.

"Come on, take a look over here," Sakura prompted Luna, bringing her over to the display Luna had set up. Sakura completely disregarded the sign, picked up the dirty object, and flipped it over in her hands to show its hollow bottom. Thereafter she gave an in-depth, as in-depth as could be expected given the subject, explanation about the innocuous piece of molded plastic. Luna asked question after question about its large mouths, its strange skin patterns, and various other random details in seemingly random order.

An hour passed by which felt paradoxically both longer and shorter than an hour. Dinnertime was rapidly approaching. Luna gave no hint of slowing down, so Sakura had to put a stop to her bottomless curiosity about the simple devices before Sakura missed out on the meal. Even after finishing, Sakura still wasn't quite sure how there had been so much to say about the plain muggle object.

* * *

White Day was 3 days away.

White Day was 2 days away.

White Day was 1 day away. Sakura had a hard time sleeping that night.

March 14 finally came.

It was a good thing it was on a Sunday. Sakura was sure she wouldn't have been able to pay any attention in class. She couldn't concentrate on anything at all the whole day. She spent as much time in the hospital as she could manage, which was all of the visiting hours and a bit longer after some pleading towards Madam Pomfrey. Unfortunately Syaoran did not wake up throughout her time there. Even when the hour the fight and Syaoran's rewinding of time had passed by, he still remained unconscious.

By the time dinner came around, Sakura had to give up. She was half-shamed and half-dragged by Lisa to the Great Hall before it was too late to get a meal. She ended up eating, but it was an entirely mechanical process. Everything tasted like cardboard in Sakura's mouth, and she honestly couldn't remember what she had eaten mere minutes after it was over.

If March 13 had been a bad night, March 14 was downright atrocious. Sakura could barely keep her head on her pillow. The previous night she had just been anxious. Now she was both anxious and worried. She lost count of the number of times she had almost gotten to sleep only to jolt awake seconds later completely un-tired.

Dawn couldn't come early enough.

Sakura gave up on trying to get any rest and crept out of Ravenclaw Tower. Her destination was the Slytherin dorms. She was convinced that Syaoran must have gotten better during the night and returned to the dorms, and she wanted to check if it was actually true.

The rooms and halls of the castle were silent, as they usually were at this early hour. Portraits were sleeping, and ghosts were nowhere to be seen. It made the castle feel like an ancient haunted castle. True it literally was an ancient haunted castle, but it rarely felt like that in the bustle during daylight hours. In contrast, the air was still and silent in these early morning hours. Sakura could imagine the house elves going about their business just out of sight, but if they were doing the cooking and cleaning needed for the operations of Hogwarts Castle then she could detect no trace of them. The building felt abandoned, although it carried none of the eerie feeling she had experienced when everybody had left at the end of the previous school year. In fact, she didn't even feel that creepy feeling of being watched which had taunted her for the past several weeks.

Sakura parked herself outside of the Slytherin dormitory. Her intention was to ask the first student out the door if Syaoran had returned the previous night. This ended up not being necessary. After a modest amount of time, the Bloody Baron happened to pass by the hallway. It took quite some convincing and enduring multiple glowers by the dour ghost, but the Bloody Baron did agree to check on Syaoran as a favor for one of "her" students. It made Sakura wonder who this "her" was, but she didn't want to ask for fear of causing the Bloody Baron to change his mind.

The Bloody Baron returned shortly thereafter and said that Syaoran was not in his bed. The announcement very much concerned Sakura. She muttered an absent-minded thank you to the ghost before making her way to the Great Hall. When she arrived there, breakfast was in the process of being served.

Sakura woodenly ate some toast, feeling much more worn than she had just 24-hours prior. The pernicious feeling of doubt and worry ate at her, growing by leaps and bounds with the passage of time. She had been so sure that White Day would have been The Day, and that everything would be better by now. At some point Gloria, Lisa, Wayne, and Luna had joined Sakura, but she didn't really notice.

Classes that day were a total mess. She was useless in Transfiguration class, and even ended up losing some points in Herbology class when she trimmed some plants exceptionally poorly. She spent the whole class counting the minutes and waiting for it to all be over. Each minute felt even longer than the previous unending one. The moment she was free, Sakura gave a hasty goodbye to Lisa and dashed to the hospital.

Syaoran was still in his bed, just as unconscious and just as unresponsive as the whole previous month. According to Madam Pomfrey, there had been no change in his status since the day before.

Sakura stayed there until visiting hours were over, reviewing what she should have been learning from the teachers in class earlier. Trying to review. Mechanically reading the books in front of her, but not actually understanding anything of the words she read and re-read. At some point Madam Pomfrey politely but firmly shooed her out of the hospital wing.

Bereft of other ideas, Sakura decided to visit Kaho in the hopes that she might be able to provide some insight into why Syaoran hadn't recovered yet and when he might wake up. Of everybody in the castle, Kaho seemed to know the most about what was happening with Syaoran. For that matter, she seemed to be the only one who knew anything about what was happening with Syaoran.

Along the way to Kaho's office, that same feeling of being watched impinged itself upon Sakura's awareness. She clutched at the Key and looked around in worry. She turned her head from side to side, checking to see what unnoticed danger lurked. Nobody was there. Nobody was behind her. She turned her head forward again, and was startled by the surprise appearance of Professor Dumbledore.

"Ahh, Sakura. You look to be troubled. Is there anything I can do to help?" Professor Dumbledore asked. He looked at Sakura in a rather intense way.

"It's..." Sakura hesitated, not sure if she wanted to bring it up. "I'm just going to go see Professor Mizuki."

"What's the matter? Are there any other mysterious attacks I should be aware of?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I don't think so," Sakura said, feeling remarkably uncomfortable. But now that Professor Dumbledore had broached the subject, she felt like she had to know. "What happened on Valentine's Day? I haven't heard anything."

"That?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "Nothing did."

"Nothing?" Sakura asked.

"So it would seem. Several of the professors and I went to the corridor you mentioned, but nothing appeared. It's unfortunate. It would have been nice to deal with that monster once and for all with all of us prepared to face it. Gilderoy suggested it was probably one of the dangerous creatures you had seen in his office and that it was a false alarm," Professor Dumbledore said.

"I see," Sakura said. Another stab of worry. So it had all been for naught. She wasn't sure why the beast hadn't appeared, but it hadn't.

"Still, no harm done. It's better to be safe than sorry, and we can't be too careful in these trying times. Remember my door is always open if anything comes up, and I'd rather waste some time than have somebody hurt. I expect some of the professor enjoyed the excitement over grading more essays, too," Professor Dumbledore said. He had a frivolity in his tone of voice which was not matched by his face.

"Okay," Sakura said. Professor Dumbledore's words were a minor consolation, but they did make Sakura feel better. At least Professor Dumbledore wasn't holding the events of Valentine's Day against her.

Professor Dumbledore continued on his way past Sakura while Sakura herself continued on her trip to Kaho's office. After he had parted company, Sakura noticed that worrisome feeling of being watched had disappeared as well, whatever that meant.

Once she reached her destination, Sakura found the door in front of Kaho's office closed. As preoccupied as she was with thoughts of Syaoran and of Valentine's Day, the fact the door was closed didn't register to her as being interesting. This was in spite of the fact it was almost always open whenever she visited Kaho. Undeterred, Sakura knocked loudly.

It was only after she knocked that she heard some muffled voices causing her to doubt whether she should have bothered her friend. Too late. The door opened up, and Kaho looked down to see Sakura.

Kaho's face immediately took on a sympathetic look as she said, "Hello, Sakura. I just need to finish up this interview. It'll just take a minute. Can you wait out here?"

"Okay," Sakura said.

She caught a glimpse of the office as the door closed. Inside was a man dressed in some voluminous wizard robes. A pointed hat rested on the armrest next to him. Sakura didn't recognize the wizard. He was a young man with neatly trimmed hair and a mustache which made him look vaguely like a human-sized Professor Flitwick.

Sakura could still hear the muffled voices from inside the office while she waited in the hall. Not sure if she should stay or move out of sight, she stayed where she was.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bidle, you were saying?" Kaho asked.

"Yes," the man answered. "It would be 76 pences, I think? No, wait, I mean 12 farthings and 11 pences."

"I see," Kaho answered. A pause. "Let's say you were at Heathrow Airport. What are two ways you could get to Mornington Crescent?"

"Yes... umm... well..." Mr. Bidle said hesitantly. Sakura could practically see the nervousness in his bearing from how he spoke. "That is to say, you could take a taxi. Or you could use a cab. Or you could ask Lorrie."

"Lorrie?" Kaho asked.

"Yes. She is always bringing things everywhere. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping you. Charming lady. Fascinating how much she gets around," Mr. Bidle said.

"I see. And about how much would you need need to pay to make the trip? Just some rough estimates are fine," Kaho asked.

"About a galleon," Mr. Bidle confidently answered.

"And in muggle money?" Kaho asked.

"Ehh..." Mr. Bidle said, suddenly much less confident, "maybe about 80 queens? I mean sovereigns?"

"Very well. Now I apologize, but I will need to cut this interview a bit short. I have a student who has a problem, and a teacher's first responsibility at Hogwarts is to the students. You do understand, don't you, Mr. Bidle?" Kaho asked.

"Err... of course, Ms. Mizuki," Mr. Bidle said, mispronouncing her name. "So, when will I hear if I got the job?"

"I'll provide my input to Professor Dumbledore. If you are selected, you should hear something in the next two weeks," Kaho said. There was some shuffling, then, "Good day, Mr. Bidle."

"Good day, Ms. Mizuki," came his reply.

The office was silent for about another minute before Kaho opened the door. She was now the only one in the room. The warm fire in the corner of the room left no doubt in Sakura's mind that the man had used the floo network to depart.

"I'm sorry about that, Sakura, but you came at a bit of a bad time," Kaho apologized, inviting Sakura in. "I'm interviewing for a replacement Muggle Studies professor."

"That's okay. I'm sorry for the bother," Sakura apologized back, before what the woman said registered. "A replacement?"

"Yes," Kaho asked.

"You're leaving?" Sakura asked, a bit louder this time.

"Yes, I am," Kaho confirmed.

"But..." Sakura said, then lowered her voice to a more natural level, "but why?"

Kaho took a look down both sides of the corridor outside her office, and then closed the door behind Sakura and turned to face her. She had the most somber look to her Sakura could remember seeing on the woman's face. She moved close to Sakura and said in a low voice, "Something big is coming. The signs are unmistakable to those sensitive to it. Things are going to get much worse here before they get better."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"The whirlwind of prophesy is on the horizon, and it will soon be upon us," Kaho said.

"Prophesy? What prophesy?" Sakura asked. A cold lump appeared in her stomach. Kaho had barely been fazed by the Final Judgment. If she was this worried then it had to be something very bad indeed.

"Nobody seems to know what it is, but if we aren't careful, we'll get swept away in the storm," Kaho said. "That's why Eriol and I will be moving to Japan for a while. It should be safe there."

"What about everybody else?" Sakura asked.

"I've given out a few subtle hints. Professor Dumbledore seems to believe me. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick do not. Professor Snape and Professor Sprout are skeptical but are thinking about it. I can do no more," Kaho said

"But what about us? Can't we do something to help?" Sakura asked.

"That's the problem. The prophesy will wipe away all who stand before it until its final end is achieved. That's the nature of prophesy. If I knew what the actual prophesy was I might be able to help; but I don't, so there isn't anything I can do. I promised Eriol that this would be my last year until everything is settled," Kaho said.

"You promised Eriol? You know where he is?" Sakura asked. She hadn't heard anything of the boy since the start of the school year.

"No. He disappeared last year. It's his way. He knows how to take care of himself, so I'm sure it will be fine. I had promised him that this would be my last year back when I had first started teaching at Hogwarts. This storm been growing for decades. In fact, I probably shouldn't even be here this year, but I couldn't give it up. This is the last year, though. This year is worse than last year, and next year will be even worse, I'm sure," Kaho said.

"That can't be right. We have to be able to help somehow," Sakura protested.

"History is filled with people who tried to fight prophesy and failed. I even tried once myself with your brother, but I failed as well. However, if anybody can make a difference, it's you, Sakura, especially if you can find out what prophecy or prophecies are in play," Kaho said. She tried to force some levity to her face and brighten her voice as she said a bit louder, "But you didn't come here to talk about this. How can I help you?"

Concern for this unspoken future fought with concern with Syaoran. In the end, concern for Syaoran easily won out. Sakura quickly said, "Syaoran-kun hasn't woken up yet."

"I had heard as much from Madam Pomfrey," Kaho said, her voice expressed none of the concern that Sakura had in her voice. "I did tell you that defying death wouldn't be without consequences."

"But it's been over four weeks. Syaoran-kun should have woken up yesterday," Sakura said.

"Why's that?" Kaho asked.

"Well, it was White Day," Sakura said. When verbalized, it sounded fairly superficial, even to her own ears. She tried to explain further, "And it was four weeks. That's one per person, plus The Mirror. And it was White Day."

"I see," Kaho said. She paused. "It isn't that easy, Sakura. Life isn't as poetic as the storybooks make it out to be. Things don't always make sense. There's no reason why White Day would be any better or worse than any other day for Syaoran to wake up."

"Then... then... when is Syaoran-kun going to wake up? Aren't you worried?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. It's been quite a while, but I have faith in Syaoran. You should too. I'm sure he is doing everything he can to be with you again," Kaho said.

Sakura's visit to Kaho proved to be far less reassuring than she had hoped it would have been, and less companionable than her normal visits to the woman were. Sakura was sure she was to blame for that as well. Even when the conversation turned to more ordinary and mundane topics, she still found herself preoccupied with thinking about Syaoran and worrying for him. She did have faith in Syaoran, and Kaho's explanations did make sense. However, now that the promise of his recovery on a specific date had disappeared, Sakura's fears had redoubled. She wondered if this was what Kaho felt for Eriol and his disappearance. If it was, Kaho hid her own gut-wrenching anxiety much better than Sakura did.

The trend continued for the next several days as well. While not as bad as March 15, Sakura was less inclined to pay attention in class than she had been prior to White Day. She spent as much time as she could in the hospital. Outside of the hospital, Sakura only went through the motions of studying. Keroberos, Gloria, and Lisa, along with Wayne, tried to bring her out of her mood. They had only marginal success.

Classes proceeded more or less normally until the following Friday. Shortly before curfew, Professor Flitwick entered the Ravenclaw dormitories. His visiting was unusual enough to gather the attention of the people in the common room, not in the least because of large pink and white skates he carried. The skates were no larger than normal, but compared to his half-goblin frame they looked enormous.

"Sakura," he called out, mispronouncing her name as he always did despite the years she had been in Ravenclaw. "Has anybody seen Sakura?"

"I'm here, Professor," Sakura said, stepping down from one of the upper levels of the common room to see what the professor wanted.

"Ah, Sakura. Very good. I'm here to return these to you," he said, holding out the skates. "I apologize for Mr. Filch having confiscated them in the first place. Rest assured, he's been spoken to about overstepping his bounds."

"So everything's okay now?" Sakura asked.

"It is. There's no reason to be confiscating muggle items left and right. It's not like any of them can cause any harm," Professor Flitwick said with a light chuckle.

Sakura was reaching down to recover her skates when Ravenclaw Tower was interrupted again by another somewhat unusual visitor. The head and then the entire body of Gray Lady appeared, floating up from the ground. While not unheard of, her presence was relatively uncommon in Ravenclaw Tower. That alone caught everybody's attention. She also looked cross for some reason, which ensured everybody, including Professor Flitwick, focused all their attention on ghost.

Gray Lady was floating directly towards Sakura as she emerged. This made it no surprise when she said to Sakura, in a voice which also sounded as ethereal and annoyed as Gray Lady looked despite the audible efforts to control her tone, "Sakura, dear, I have a message for you. An... acquaintance... of mine told me that you were looking for some Slytherin boy named Syaoran a few days ago."

"Yes?" Sakura asked, only dimly aware that between Professor Flitwick and Gray Lady seeking her out that the majority of the students in Ravenclaw Common room were now watching her.

"This acquaintance of mine told me that he has just returned to the Slytherin dormitories," Gray Lady said.

Sakura had a hard time controlling her beating heart. She exclaimed, "He did?"

Without waiting for a response, she snatched the skates from out of the hands of Professor Flitwick and ran to the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower. Her scrolls, her books, and everything else she had been using only five minutes earlier were long forgotten in her dash.

"I say," Professor Flitwick said. He then called out after her, "Don't forget about curfew."

Sakura barely waved back before she was around the corner. She took the stairs of the tower two at a time and only paused briefly at the bottom to snap on her skates, rushing as fast as she could to Syaoran's side.

* * *

Last Updated: August 24, 2014


	13. Sakura and the Forgotten Memory

Chapter 13: Sakura and the Forgotten Memory

Despite Syaoran's recovery, Sakura found herself just as distracted as she had been in the days around White Day. She was now preoccupied with making up for lost time with him. Throughout her classes she would count the minutes until she would be free, and once she was free she would rush to Syaoran's side just as quickly as she had rushed to the hospital wing in the past. The difference was that Sakura wasn't fretting over Syaoran's condition all day, and thus she was far less likely to accidentally squeeze a pusbulb fruit without the protection of her dragonhide gloves.

The sharp delight of Syaoran being restored to health had finally faded after a couple of weeks. The blaze of elation mellowed to a simple warmth, and Sakura could once again spend time with him while still concentrating on academic studies and her other activities. Syaoran had been impressed with the results of her skating experiments during his prolonged unconscious state. Gloria and Lisa were too, albeit less enthusiastically, which was understandable seeing how neither of them were able to get the things to work for them.

With Syaoran's return, Sakura had less time for her independent projects. The majority of her free time was spent helping Syaoran catch up with his coursework. He was noticeably behind in his studies, so most of the time they were together found Sakura tutoring him. Not that she minded in the least. Any time she could spend with her boyfriend counted as a good thing. It was also somewhat helpful for Luna, as well as for Roger and Giles, all of whom were studying the same material as Syaoran. Sakura wasn't sure if Roger and Giles had received a formal invitation to join from Syaoran or not, but half of the time they could be found tagging along behind Syaoran wherever he went around the castle. For Gloria, Lisa, and Wayne, these tutoring sessions were far less useful, although they still made good use of the time by studying their own second-year materials.

Everything had fallen into a semi-regular pattern in time for Easter, which was marked by a key question: what classes should they register for for the following year?

"That's easy," Gloria declared at one of their study sessions. "Muggle Studies, of course."

Lisa nodded in agreement while asking, "Of course, but what else? I suppose my father would expect me to take Arthmancy as well."

"Oh. Divine Accounting sounded interesting as well," Gloria said.

"How about Narrative Theory? My parents use it all the time," Wayne suggested. "How about you, Sakura?"

"I wasn't planning on taking anything," Sakura said. "I think this is going to be my last year here."

"Not this again," Lisa said, shaking her head.

"You said that last year, Sakura," Gloria said.

"For real, this time," Keroberos said.

"Yeah," Syaoran agreed. "Me too, probably."

"You too?" Roger asked. "Why?"

"We talked about this before," Sakura said. "I'm not learning as much in the classes as I did my first year. The libraries are nice, and the space to play around with my magic is good too, but I can buy books and figure out some place to experiment back home in Japan. I'm falling too far behind in my muggle classes, and I don't expect to stay in the United Kingdom when I graduate."

"Same here. I've learned some stuff here, but classes aren't at all what I expected," Syaoran agreed.

"But you were out of it for like a month. You missed a lot of stuff then," Giles disagreed.

"Maybe, but did you learn how to teleport or anything else useful while I was out of it?" Syaoran asked.

"You mean apparition? Obviously we haven't. You got to be like seventeen to even get a license," Roger said.

"Exactly. There's a lot of interesting things to learn here, but it's so... confined. I think I'd probably have more luck if I just did it on my own. Now that I know a bit about Western magic, I think maybe we could hire some tutors to come to Hong Kong for a few months to help teach. That way everybody in the family could learn some stuff. Besides, I'm not sure how much I'd want to keep coming here if it was just me," Syaoran said.

"I see," Wayne said.

The group remained silent for a bit after that. The announcement that Sakura and Syaoran had no intention of returning the next year had the effect of squelching all of the enthusiasm for planning next year's schedule. Nobody knew how to react.

The silence was finally broken when Syaoran changed subjects, returning to the nominal reason for their meeting. He returned to his potions book and asked Sakura, "Why do we need to add gillyweed before the fish liver?"

"It's the same reason you need to use a glass rod to stir. 'Stability first,' remember?" Sakura asked back.

The rest of the study session continued in a similar muted way.

The topic of the next year never came up again for the rest of the month. For the most part school life had quieted down again. There were three key exceptions, though: Sakura, Keroberos, and Syaoran. They never let down their guard. Sakura wasn't sure about the others, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of being watched from time to time. It kept her on edge, always ready to seize the Key at a moment's notice. Syaoran likewise always had the gem which would expand into his jian in easy reach whenever Sakura saw him. It was only with the arrival of May that the rest of the school caught up with them, taking on a similar posture.

Sakura and Syaoran, and oddly Luna as well, were with Gloria in the spectator stands for the Gryffindor Quidditch match with Hufflepuff. Sakura's and Luna's Ravenclaw blue along with Syaoran's Slytherin green stood out in stark contrast to the reds and golds all around them. By this point, Syaoran had been seen with Oliver Wood enough times that even the Slytherin was able to make his way into the Gryffindor stands unchallenged, so long as he was being unsubtly escorted by somebody from Gryffindor. However, that didn't prevent the dirty glares, loud whispers, and "accidental" jostles.

Right when the game was about to start, Professor McGonagall half-marched and half-ran onto the Quidditch pitch. Much to Keroberos, Syaoran, and Gloria's disappointment, Professor McGonagall used a giant purple megaphone to announce to the crowd that the game was being canceled. Not only that, Professor McGonagall instructed all students to return to their common rooms. This part of the announcement disappointed Sakura as well, seeing how it meant that she would not be able to spend the rest of the day with Syaoran.

The reasoning behind the announcements quickly became clear.

Penelope was absent in Ravenclaw Tower. Some questioning around, with growing volume and urgency, resulted in the determination that she was in fact missing. Given the seriousness of how the professors were treating the situation, to the point of canceling the remaining Quidditch games for the year, all thoughts snapped immediately to the Heir of Slytherin. Suddenly it was like it was December all over again. Huddled groups of worried students gathered together and spoke only in hushed whispers.

Professor Flitwick arrived an hour later and officially confirmed that there had been another attack. Penelope had been the latest victim. Both Penelope and Hermione.

All of the speculation from January sprang to mind again. Prefects weren't safe. Friends of The Boy Who Lived weren't safe. Nobody was safe. No, wait, nobody in Slytherin had been attacked yet. It was just a matter of time. No, of course the Heir of Slytherin wouldn't attack Slytherin. What did the lack of Slytherin causalities mean? The professors must have noticed. What were they going to do about it?

Professor Flitwick's next announcement devastated Sakura. In light of the latest attack, some new rules were being put in place. Nobody was to leave the dormitories after 6:00 in the evening every day, all evening activities in general were canceled, and students were to be escorted everywhere. Compounding the situation, the next day, Professor McGonagall announced to the school that the 12 governors of Hogwarts had voted to suspend Professor Dumbledore. As Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, effective immediately, Professor McGonagall would be leading the school.

At this point, everybody within Hogwarts became just as twitchy as Sakura herself had felt for the past two months. Students only traveled in large groups, and they spent all of their time searching every nook and cranny for anything which might be out of place. It was like the troll attack the previous year, only now all day every day.

This left Sakura with little to do in the evening except study. There wasn't enough space in the Ravenclaw dormitories to do any serious experiments without disturbing others, and Sakura had never been much for chess, exploding snap, or any of the other games played in the castle. That left a serious dearth of things to do besides study. It was very much like her first year at Hogwarts, when Syaoran had been half a world away. Sakura was accustomed to it by this point, not that that made things any easier or any more exciting.

Sakura was tempted to do something drastic, like use The Mirror and The Illusion to sneak around the castle to secretly meet Syaoran, but she would never do that. Having already faced a giant deadly magical serpent once before, Sakura had absolutely no desire to do it again. Especially on her own. Exposing the cards and her other magic would certainly be imprudent as well.

One brief bit of excitement occurred in Ravenclaw Tower when Luna had asked to borrow Sakura's skates again. Not seeing the problem, Sakura had let her. A few minutes later, Luna was literally skating around on the walls. Richard, one of the prefects, had quickly put a stop to it. He had also tried to get the skates confiscated again. However, upon bringing it up with Professor Flitwick, they ran numerous tests which supposedly conclusively demonstrated again that the skates weren't magical, and so Sakura got them back a second time. Having learned her lesson, though, when Luna asked to borrow them yet again, Sakura politely declined.

The days went by with these new procedures and policies in place. Some professor, usually Professor Flitwick, would show up in the morning to escort the Ravenclaw students to breakfast. This eliminated any early morning meetings with Syaoran, to Sakura's disappointment. Then, throughout the day, the different groups of students would be handed off from one professor to another until after dinner, at which point they'd be brought back to their common room again. This eliminated any evening meetings with Syaoran, to Sakura's dismay.

Throughout each day a teacher was always in sight, not that she would have dreamed of skipping classes to meet up with Syaoran. Well, she would dream about it, but she would never actually do it. With the current atmosphere her absence would be instantly noticed, and who knew what would happen in the school if a student suddenly went missing? Sakura imagined the loss of who knew how many points for Ravenclaw and Slytherin would be the least of their worries. All combined, it meant that the time Sakura could spend with Syaoran was limited to the scant hours during meals and between the end of classes and dinner.

The new procedures made even little things difficult, like using a bathroom. Sakura would need to wait for the few times there would be multiple professors with the second-year Ravenclaws between classes so one of them could escort her to the bathroom and while the others could continue on their way to the next class. The staff outnumbered the number of classes by enough that this was possible, but not so much as to make a second professor's presence a guarantee.

Sakura could barely wait for Defense Against the Dark Arts class to end. Professor Lockhart regaled the class with the story of how he had faced a werewolf and forced it back into human form. Again. Sakura found it hard to pay any attention and found herself daydreaming about this or that as the Professor rambled on. He was a capable story teller, but hearing the story six times already drained all the excitement from his presentation.

When Defense Against the Dark Arts class came to an end, Professor Flitwick was already waiting at the door to escort them to his classroom for Charms class. There seemed to have been some disagreement between him and Professor Lockhart, based on the formal and terse greeting he gave his fellow professor. However, as always, the dirty laundry of the adults was kept behind closed doors so none of the students knew what it was about. It was still a relief to have a second escort, though.

Sakura approached Professor Flitwick and asked in a quiet voice, "Do you think we could... go to..." She was hesitant to ask with the entire class around her.

"You need to go to the loo, Sakura?" Professor Lockhart asked loudly and eagerly from behind Sakura. Sounding quite heroic, especially given the banality of the trip, he continued, "Of course I can keep you safe from any monsters."

A flush of embarrassment immediately came to Sakura's face, and she could feel the stares and sniggers from the rest of the class behind her. She did her best to keep her head down and follow Professor Lockhart as he led her to the nearest bathroom, which was a relatively normal one to her relief. Not the bathroom with a certain weird ghost girl, or the one with the headache-inducing mirror, or the one with the backwards ceiling.

Sakura didn't dare turn around to see her classmates laughing at her, but she could hear the rest of the class starting to follow Professor Flitwick as she hurried past the first corner to follow Professor Lockhart. The time between the classes was a bit short, especially given they would need to get to the Charms classroom afte

* * *

Sakura's head felt weird. Not exactly a headache, but certainly not normal. It felt kind of like she had bumped her head, but she couldn't remember doing so. Maybe as she had had been sleeping? She tentatively felt around, but couldn't feel any particularly sore spots. She would have visited Madam Pomfrey in the hospital, but it had been closed to everything except emergency cases ever since Penelope and Hermione had been found petrified, and she doubted a weird headache would count as an emergency case.

She took the privacy of the bathroom to adjust her clothing before leaving. It had gotten a bit rumpled and twisted in a few uncomfortable ways. Once she had done so, as well as finished all her business there, she rejoined Professor Lockhart and they both took a brisk walk to Professor Flitwick's classroom.

Sakura was able to rejoin her class with a bit of time to spare. She felt somewhat bad for Professor Lockhart as he strode away. He would have quite the trip to get back to his classroom from the Charms classroom, even if he took the direct path rather than the detour they had followed in making their way to Professor Flitwick's class.

What followed was one of the best Charms classes Sakura could ever remember having. Charms which she had struggled with for weeks seemed to naturally flow. She couldn't even remember why she had had so much trouble in the past. Somehow what she remembered as being counterintuitive flowed naturally from her wand. Everything just made sense this time. She hoped it would stay that way for the final exams.

As class progressed her headache subsided. Subsided but didn't disappear. She still felt a bit weird, like there was an itching behind her eyes or she had a bump somewhere outside of her head or something. She thought and hoped it would go away eventually.

Once classes finished, Professor Flitwick escorted them back to the Ravenclaw dormitories. From there, there would be various mini-caravans departing to the various other locations around the castle under staff escort. It was far less convenient as compared to the month prior when the time between classes and dinner had been completely free. The escorts also made it so that Sakura and the others could only go to the most popular areas of the castle. There was no chance to go to an unused classroom to practice a bit of wandwork, and visiting a professor to get additional assistance with a subject was much trickier than normal.

Sakura already knew her destination. The Great Hall. Dinner was some time away yet but it was the easiest meeting place to get together with Syaoran. They could have instead met in the library, but the silence enforced by Madam Pince made doing anything there difficult. Gray Lady also still looked upon Syaoran with suspicion, and looked upon Sakura with disapproval anytime she was with him.

Once inside Ravenclaw Tower, Sakura quickly made her way to her dorm room to swap out her various books and supplies. As she approached, Keroberos flew over to greet her.

"Welcom..." Keroberos started saying, before abruptly asking, "What happened to the cards?"

The question confused Sakura for a second. What cards? She couldn't remember Keroberos asking about any cards before she had left Ravenclaw Tower in the morning.

"Cards? You wanted to play cards?" Sakura asked.

"What?" Keroberos asked.

"You asked for some cards. Did you want to play something? Maybe a game of wizard's trump?" Sakura asked. She wasn't about to suggest they try exploding snap again. They had tried playing it once before, but it hadn't gone well. Keroberos was too small relative to the cards used in the castle to really compete effectively. That plus two unfortunate explosions and one very accidental slap had resulted in him swearing to never play again until they had a more appropriately sized deck.

Sakura was already half way to Linda's truck. Linda had a deck of cards and had an open offer to let others borrow it. However Keroberos interrupted, saying, "No. Not cards. I meant the cards." He had switched to Japanese, for some reason.

"What cards?" Sakura asked. She naturally switched languages as well to follow Keroberos's lead.

"The Sakura Cards. The one that are normally there," Keroberos said, pointing at one of the pockets in her uniform.

Sakura reflexively reached into the pocket, but didn't feel anything there. She pulled it open, turning it out as she did so. She said, "There's nothing there."

"I know that! Where are they?" Keroberos asked. He was getting more excited.

"Where are what? If you want cards, I think Linda has a deck," Sakura said, getting progressively more confused and frustrated as well.

"The cards that Clow made. Ya remember Clow, don'tcha?" Keroberos asked.

"Clow Reeds? You mean the wizard who created you," Sakura said. As if she could ever forget him. He had been the one to create Keroberos. He was also the past incarnation of Eriol who, along with Kaho and Keroberos and Syaoran, had been the one to introduce her to the world of magic and arrange for her to come to Hogwarts. But why was Keroberos bringing him up now?

"That's right," Keroberos said, somewhat mollified. "The cards he made, and ya converted. What happened to 'em?"

"He made some cards too? Were they special somehow?" Sakura asked. She wasn't sure how special one could make cards. Certainly not special enough to justify the big deal Keroberos was making of them.

"Ya mean ya don't remember 'em at all?" Keroberos asked. He was looking increasingly panicked.

"That's what I keep saying," Sakura said.

"How could ya forget 'em?" Keroberos asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura protested. "Stop making things up."

"I'm not makin' it up. Wait here," Keroberos said. He then flew out the door.

While Keroberos was out of the room, Sakura went back to her desk and went through the various books she wanted to bring with her for the afternoon. With a professor escorting them everywhere, the knocker to Ravenclaw Tower wouldn't be an issue. That meant there was no need to bring the wandlore book she had found. She already had her Transfiguration book with her because of the classes she just had. Defense Against the Dark Arts would be silly, given the type of exams Professor Lockhart had been giving throughout the year. Charms might be valuable, but it would be difficult to practice in an open area like the Great Hall. In the end, Sakura settled on her Astronomy book and her Potions book when Lisa came into the room.

"Here. You tell her, Lisa," Keroberos prompted. He was back to speaking English, as could be expected given Lisa's presence.

"Is it true you do not remember your cards?" Lisa asked.

Sakura felt really funny for some reason. It made her feel somewhat uncomfortable. For that reason, as much as anything, she protested, "You too? If this is a joke, it's not very funny."

"It's not a joke," Keroberos said. "How could just forget them after everything, with Syaoran, and Yue, and Eriol?"

Of course she remembered Syaoran, Yue, and Eriol, and the common thread of magic that linked them along with Keroberos, Kaho, and herself. No cards were involved with any of that.

"And what about what happened last year, with Wayne in the greenhouse," Lisa added.

"You mean that weird banshee thing with Wayne? There weren't any cards with that," Sakura protested.

"Yes there was," Keroberos and Lisa both said.

"No there wasn't," Sakura disagreed. She was sure of it. Wayne had been playing around and had run into some kind of dangerous creature in the greenhouses. It was fortunate that she and the others had been around to help take care of it and then to escort him back to the hospital wing. There weren't anything like any cards with it. "Let's go ask Wayne. He'll remember."

The three of them hurried to catch the tail end of the group heading to the Great Hall. Lisa didn't have time to grab anything, but Sakura had enough to share. Lisa usually ended up reading with Wayne anyway, even when she did bring her own books.

When they reached the Great Hall, Syaoran and Wayne were already there and sitting in an open area at the Hufflepuff table. Keroberos flew ahead, and Sakura quickly gave chase to ensure they weren't conspiring for some joke against her.

"Big problem, brat," Keroberos said in Japanese, then lowered his voice. "Sakura-chan's forgotten all about the cards."

"What?" Syaoran exclaimed. He turned to Sakura and asked, "You forgot? How could you just forget about them?"

Sakura got that uncomfortable feeling again, but it was overshadowed by a feeling of worry. Keroberos on his own might be playing some sort of elaborate prank. He might have even been able to bring Lisa into it somehow. But Syaoran too? What if she had really forgotten something. Something really important, based on how they were all acting.

Desperately hoping, although for what Sakura wasn't sure, she asked in English, "There weren't any cards or anything involved with... what happened last year, near the greenhouses, were there, Wayne?"

"Huh? Of course there were. That's what started the whole thing to begin with," Wayne said. "That song thing and everything. I'm still bloody sorry about that."

"Hoe..." Sakura said.

"This is a big problem. What are we supposed to do about it?" Syaoran asked.

"We could go to see Madam Pomfrey," Lisa said.

"Or maybe the Headmistress. Too bad Professor Dumbledore's gone. He'd know what to do," Wayne added.

"No!" Syaoran and Keroberos both said simultaneously. In the tense environment of the Great Hall, the combined volume of their voices carried a lot further than normal. Sakura suddenly noticed the attention and the stares of the people around them.

Sakura waited for the impromptu audience to lose interest again before asking in a low voice, "Why not ask them?"

"They might confiscate the cards as a dark artifact if they find them," Syaoran said in an equally low voice.

"What? I've been using a dark artifact?" Sakura almost exclaimed. She knew enough from Defense Against the Dark Arts class, albeit from Professor Quirrel no Professor Lockhart, that such things were not to be trifled with. Maybe that was what had resulted in her current discomfort and apparent memory loss. But Keroberos, Syaoran, and the others seemed more worried about the cards' disappearance than their existence, so that didn't quite make sense either.

"No, but they might think that. They might have gotten the wrong impression back when you transformed into that half-cat-thing back in January," Keroberos explained.

"You what?" Wayne exclaimed, re-drawing the attention of people around them.

"That..." Sakura started saying, but noticed the stares again. She paused. It took longer this time, but when nothing happened the spectators and eavesdroppers eventually lost interest again.

"That was related to these cards?" Sakura asked, still in a very low voice. The more she heard about them, the more more convoluted these cards seemed. She decided to ask, "What can these cards do, anyway?"

"You said that they..." Wayne started saying.

"Shh..." Keroberos said, cutting him off. "I'll tell you later. There's too many people here."

"I can't study now. This is much more important. We've got to do something," Syaoran said. He pushed himself to his feet and looked around.

"If we can't go to Madam Pomfrey or Professor McGonagall, maybe we can go to Professor Flitwick? He is the head of your house," Wayne said.

"No, we can't go to him either," Keroberos said. "He was there back in January."

"How about Professor Snape? He seems to treat you nicely," Wayne suggested.

Sakura knew the answer to that one too. She didn't remember anything about any cards, but she did remember his presence back in the hospital wing in January. She asked, "No, he was there too?" Keroberos and Syaoran both gave tiny nods at her question.

"Was everybody there besides me?" Wayne asked, giving a sign of exasperation. "How about Professor Sprout?"

"She's... she's nice... but I don't really think..." Sakura hesitantly said, not sure how to phrase what she felt politely. If this was really such a dire secret then she didn't really feel comfortable talking to Professor Sprout about it. She was the head to one of the houses, and she seemed like a nice enough person, but Sakura didn't really know the witch and so didn't feel that comfortable confiding in her. Not that she really knew what needed to be confided.

"Come on. Let's go see if Kaho's around. She might be able to help," Keroberos suggested. Of course. Kaho was always there for Sakura to go to.

"Maybe Eriol's back too," Syaoran hoped.

It took a bit of time, but there was enough traffic in the Great Hall such that they were able to find a professor who was willing to take them to visit another professor. Professor Sinistra's attempts at small talk on the way there made them exceptionally uncomfortable. It was an innocent enough question, asking why a group of first and second year students would be wanting to talk to the Muggle Studies professor, but it set them on edge. It was like Professor Sinistra already knew something was wrong. However, she seemed to accept Sakura's explanation that Kaho was just a friend she regularly visited, which was true but belied the real purpose of the visit.

Not that it did much good. Kaho's concern for Sakura, once Keroberos made it clear that Wayne and Lisa already knew a fair bit about the cards, was if anything even more dramatic than Keroberos's and Syaoran's. She was of the opinion that it should be escalated to Professor McGonagall immediately, although Syaoran and Keroberos were able to dissuade her using the same argument that they had used with Sakura and the others earlier. Syaoran's hopes that Eriol had somehow made a return were not proven true either, as a quick check in the floo proved.

Kaho asked a couple of questions of the situation. They spoke in Japanese, to the consternation of Lisa and Wayne, and even then they still kept their voices down. While Sakura was able to follow the question and answer session somewhat, they exchanged references which left Sakura confused. Some of the references seemed utterly unrelated to the topic at hand, such as bringing up a series of unsolved vandalism cases from back in Japan. Other references she didn't even recognize, such as some trial that had occurred at some temple. Kaho clearly got more out of the discussion with Syaoran and Keroberos than Sakura herself did.

Of course Kaho promised to do what she could, but there was an undertone they all heard that she probably wouldn't be able to do very much. She suggested that maybe Keroberos might be able to assist. Apparently he could somehow feel the presence of these strange cards. Sakura was quite confused about what it all meant, but figured it would be explained to her at some point.

That would have to come later, though. Time was a limited commodity, and they were out of it. They had to cut the meeting off early if they were to be back at the Great Hall in time for dinner. Keroberos actually suggested skipping the meal, which more than anything hit home to Sakura how big a deal this all was. However Kaho said that that wasn't an option. With the heightened security around the school, their absence would be quickly noticed, and the few minutes they bought would overcome by the extra scrutiny they would incur thereafter.

Dinner was an understandably subdued affair. Gloria had joined them, as had Rogers and Giles. The former seemed to not notice the mood and instead spent a majority of time holding a half-hearted conversation about how unfair it was to cancel the remainder of the Quidditch season, especially with Gryffindor in the lead. The latter two were more perceptive and kept looking oddly at the rest of the group, but they didn't ask any questions to the older non-Slytherin students. Sakura expected some interesting questions to Syaoran once the door to the Slytherin dorms closed.

The student body broke up after dinner, everybody going to their respective dormitories for the early evenings which had started being enforced throughout the school the previous week.

Upon returning to Ravenclaw Tower, the first thing Sakura did was find a quiet alcove to talk to Keroberos about the cards. He had curtly dismissed Lisa from the discussion. Sakura didn't see what the problem was and wanted to include her friend, but Keroberos was insistent, and Sakura yielded to his judgment and superior knowledge. The pout on Lisa's face still stabbed at Sakura.

Once he was sure they were alone, Keroberos quietly started weaving a tale of magic for Sakura's ears. A tale of gigantic birds and bears, of rainbows and whirlpools, and of earthquakes and darkness. Sakura wasn't sure what to make of it all. Parts of it dovetailed cleanly into things she could remember from years past, but other parts diverged in wildly dramatic ways as well. It was all very fantastic and very different than any of the magic she had seen or even heard about at Hogwarts. Truth be told, she was skeptical of it all, but given the big fuss from the past few hours, she was willing to give Keroberos the benefit of the doubt.

At the end of the explanation, Keroberos announced that because he could sense the cards, he was going to start searching the castle. For some reason Sakura didn't quite understand, he could only sense some of them, but it was better than nothing. Sakura thought that this was dangerous to say the least, given the situation with the Heir of Slytherin, but was so overwhelmed with everything that she didn't say anything. By the time she had composed herself, Keroberos had already flown out of a window.

At this point, bereft of anything else to do, Sakura approached Lisa. Lisa had a large stack of books in front of her. She explained that she thought they should go through a quick review of everything they had learned in the past year. It would be good to check if Sakura had any other mysterious memory gaps, and regardless it'd be a good review in preparation for the final examinations coming up in a few weeks.

To Sakura's relief there didn't seem to be any other holes in her memory that her companion could tell. At least her academic standings were secure. That didn't stop her night from be troubled by nameless fears plaguing her thoughts.

* * *

Breakfast was better attended than even the start of the year. Undoubtedly the nervous tension of the recent attacks had caused everybody to have trouble sleeping. The hope of safety in large numbers must have helped too. Combined together, it resulted in basically the entire student body now showing up for breakfasts. Despite that, the meal was a much more subdued event than before as well. People only spoke in whispers amongst themselves. They were animated whispers to be sure, but they were quiet whispers nonetheless. The warm murmur of human activity was all but absent from the Great Hall.

There was a commensurate increase in mail as well. It was so much that at times the huge flock of owls blacked out the sun as seen through the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall. From this large collective mass, one of the owls emerged and descended upon Gloria. That wasn't a surprise. It never had a problem locating her, even when she sat at the Ravenclaw table. What was a surprise was Gloria's reaction. She opened the letter normally, eating a piece of toast with one hand while reading the letter with the other. Then her hand holding the toast froze and she stopped chewing. She then dropped the toast on the table and grabbed the letter with both hands.

Gloria gave a hard swallow, stood up, and declared, "They can't be serious. They can't do that."

Her voice drew the attention of a few of the Ravenclaw students surrounding them. She had spoken quietly enough, but the declaration still carried in the hushed room.

"Of course they can't," Luna said in agreement, holding a copy of the Quibbler in her hands. Sakura was getting adapt at this, and barely had a problem reading the upside down headline "MINISTRY COVERS GERMAN VEGITABLES SOUR".

"I'll be right back," Gloria said. She stepped over the bench and almost ran over to the Slytherin table, clutching the letter in her hand.

"What do you think that was all about?" Sakura asked.

"It looks like... yeah, she's talking to James. It must be some family thing," Syaoran said.

Sakura turned to look around, and watched as Gloria had some animated conversation with her brother. Although their voices didn't raise enough to be heard, Gloria's gesticulations were clear evidence that her emotions were running high. Gloria shoved her letter into James's hands. More sedately, he took out a letter as well and showed it to Gloria. She read it for a bit, threw it back at James, snatched her own, and then stormed back to the Ravenclaw table.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"Here. Read this," Gloria said, shoving her letter into Sakura's hands.

"Dear Gloria," Sakura read out loud for the benefit of the others at the table. The poor handwriting meant that she had to read slowly. "Your dad and I were horrified to hear about what happened to your classmates. We're only glad you weren't hurt. I hope..."

"No, no, no. Here," Gloria interrupted, pointing to a section about a third of the way through the letter.

Sakura dutifully skipped forward, reading, "... so we are... transferring you to Fairyward Academy?"

"What?" Lisa and Wayne asked.

"My parents were starting to think that Hogwarts was getting to be too dangerous. Now that Hermione and Penelope were petrified and Professor Dumbledore's suspended, they're sure of it. They're transferring me to Fairyward Academy. It's the same school my dad went to," Gloria said.

"That's nice. I wonder if fairy wards are different than wizard wards," Luna said, looking like she was addressing her bowl of porridge.

"Nice? Are you kidding? They don't even play Quidditch there," Gloria protested.

"But it's not all bad. I'm sure it's a lot safer than Hogwarts. They probably don't have all these dangerous attacks," Sakura said.

"I don't need to be kept safe," Gloria protested. "I can handle things here fine."

Syaoran sent a meaningful glance to Sakura, but it fell flat. Sakura wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean.

"Oh, this is just terrible," Gloria said. She pushed away her plate and said, "I'm not hungry anymore."

She spent the remainder of the meal with her head in her hands. As she was sitting in the middle of the group, it soured the mood even more, not that the tense atmosphere of the Great Hall was very conducive to socializing in the first place.

The rest of the meal passed by in near silence. Sakura wasn't sure what the others were thinking about, but for her part she was reflecting with longing upon the simpler time she had had her first year at Hogwarts.

* * *

Professor Flitwick moved his wand with the ease and confidence of years of experience. At his command, all of the practice books in the room obediently flew across the room and lined up on the table on the other half of the room.

Once they had settled in place, Professor Flitwick commanded, "Again."

Almost as one, the class pointed their wands and recited, "Accio practice book."

The brown tome with golden lettering Sakura was using for her practice snapped forward neatly into her hand. Anthony likewise had his book promptly respond, as did Mandy Brocklehurt. Lisa's book landed at her feet, forcing her to reach down to take possession. Her summoning was better than Terry Boot's, whose book landed only half to him. He belatedly cast a second summoning charm to retrieve it.

"Well done, Sakura, well done. I see you finally started applying yourself to your wandwork," Professor Flitwick said to Sakura.

She wasn't quite sure how to take that statement. It seemed like a complement, but it seemed like an insult as well. She muttered out a halfhearted, "Thank you."

Over the past few days, Sakura's charms had remarkably improved. Even Lisa had commented on it in Ravenclaw Tower during practice. With nothing else to base it on, she could only attribute her new found proficiency to the mysterious ailment which had caused her to forget about those equally mysterious cards. If so, whatever else it might have been, the disappearance of the cards wasn't all bad. It also meant that she wasn't exceptionally enthusiastic to re-find the cards. It felt good to actually be able to perform well in Charms class. She knew she should have been more worried about the loss of those strange cards, but she wasn't. She remembered having so much trouble with her wandwork throughout the past two years. It felt so nice for it to finally just work.

Not that Keroberos or any of the others let it be. During the free time between classes and dinner, Kaho escorted Syaoran, Sakura, and Lisa through the halls of the school. Lisa guided them through what she remembered of that fateful day. They started at Ravenclaw Tower, where Keroberos was sure Sakura had had the cards before breakfast. Sakura and Lisa couldn't be sure of the path they had taken, though. The mutability of Hogwarts Castle meant that on any given trip the most convenient path from point A to point B would change, and neither Sakura nor Lisa had paid too much attention to where they were going that day. Combined with the fact that a professor had been leading them so they took less usual paths through the castle meant that there was no way to be sure they were on the right track.

All of their searching was in vain. No bright pink book or bright pink cards were visible in any hall. Some subtle questioning of the professors they had had that day revealed nothing either. Nobody had found a misplaced book in their classroom or seen anything unusual.

Keroberos was making an additional effort in his searching. He would disappear for hours on end, usually during the day but sometimes at night, and search through the hallways. As a non-student, his presence was much less tracked than the others. In fact, the only people who really noticed his absence were Sakura's roommates, especially Deborah, and it was easy to give them a good excuse for his prowling. His fake form made sneaking around the castle relatively simple too. He might have been a vivid yellow, but he was also small. However, his searches were equally in vain. He hadn't found anything of note either.

School coming to an end in a few weeks, at which point all hope would be lost. They were getting to the point of considering asking Professor McGonnagal directly for some help. They would need a good cover story.

"Accio practice book," Linda said, a third time, finally retrieving her book.

"You'd better practice more before the exams, Linda," Professor Flitwick chastised, earning a look of embarrassment from the girl as the rest of the class looked at her in amusement.

"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please," Professor McGonagall's voice rang out, interrupting the session. Her magically conducted voice seemed to come from all corners of the room. It startled everybody, including Professor Flitwick.

Immediately the pit fell out of Sakura's stomach. There had been some cautious optimism ever since Professor McGonagall had announced that the mandrake restorative droughts were finally finished and all the petrified people might be recovered. Despite not having any real proof that this announcement was related to that one, Sakura couldn't help but feel that this announcement was somehow evidence that things had not gone to plan. She chanced a glance at Lisa. Lisa had a frown on her face which matched Sakura's own.

"All right, everybody, class is over. Return to your dorms, right now," Professor Flitwick's voice followed Professor McGonagall's with authority. "No, no, leave the books. Just gather your things and go."

Without waiting to see if his instructions were followed, Professor Flitwick left the classroom. The students left immediately afterwards to return to Ravenclaw Tower.

It was getting to be something of a habit. The huddled group of students made their way through the wide stony corridors of Hogwarts Castle while all eyes automatically searched the dark corners in the nooks and alcoves of the once cheerful hallways. They hadn't looked so ominous since the supposed discovery that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin.

Despite the lack of specific danger, Sakura was more nervous than she could ever remember being for such a trip. Sakura kept nervously clutching at the necklace hanging around her neck. It was the same one Syaoran had given her the previous year on White Day. It somehow didn't quite feel right, either around her neck or in her hand. That was probably because up until about a week prior she hadn't worn it much at all. She couldn't remember why she hadn't.

Like always, her nerves were wholly unnecessary. The group made it back without incident. The large group of students made it easy to answer the knocker's question despite the tension, and everybody was able to enter without anything of note occurring.

The third-year and fourth-year Ravenclaw students were already back in the dormitories when Sakura entered it. The other years entered shortly thereafter. The last ones to return were the first-years, who trailed just behind the sixth-years.

With nothing else to do, everybody stayed clustered in the common room, wondering what was going to happen next. With such a high student to space ratio, it was inevitable that the students started the school pastime of gossiping. Quietly. The atmosphere pressed down harder than the library under the watchful glare of Madam Pince.

Not that it did much good. Nobody knew what had happened. It was quick to verify nobody new had gone missing. If, for example, Linda had disappeared, everybody in the second-year class would know it and it would be the talk of the house. There was no such rumor, which was evidence enough that nobody new had disappeared from Ravenclaw.

Professor Flitwick showed up several minutes after the last student had appeared and announced that everybody should pack up and that the Hogwarts Express would be arriving the following day to bring everybody home. The remainder of the school year, including exams, was being canceled.

This prompted a flurry of questions, but Professor Flitwick was short on answers. He wouldn't say why classes were being canceled. He wouldn't say if there had been another victim. He wouldn't say if the Heir of Slytherin had been discovered. He wouldn't say if school would be re-opening the following year. He wouldn't say what would happen with their grades, or with their O.W.L.s, or with their N.E.W.T.s. He really wouldn't say anything at all. He wouldn't even say what would happen for dinner that day.

The gossip and speculation continued for the rest of the afternoon, but nobody had any answers to give. Ravenclaw could invent stories with the best of them, but there had to be at least a kernel of fact to work off of, and the only facts they had were that classes had been canceled and that everybody would be returning home on the Hogwarts Express the next day. They didn't even know if their parents had been notified so as to pick up their children. It was hard to imagine that they hadn't been, but still the students with owl familiars were suddenly very popular in Ravenclaw Tower.

Sakura wasn't sure at all what was going to happen. She had assumed at the end of classes she would use the floo network with Kaho to return to Clow Manor like she had the previous year and for the Winter Holiday, but the topic hadn't come up yet. Now there was no way for her to communicate with Kaho to find out. It worried her. She expected and hoped that she would run into Kaho at some point to verify this, but that was only that: an expectation and a hope.

It was one of the longest afternoons Sakura had ever had.

Several hours later, a sharp rap came at the door. It caught the attention of everybody in the hushed Ravenclaw common room. After a few seconds the door swung open, revealing the small form of Professor Flitwick again. It must have been the announcement for dinner. It felt like it had been days since they had been left in the Ravenclaw dormitories, although a check of the time showed it was still late afternoon.

He somberly announced, "The Heir of Slytherin has been found and dealt with..."

A spontaneously bout of cheering and applause made it impossible for the rest of his statement to be heard. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and joined in the clapping as well.

Questions immediately started flying. Who was it? How did all those people get petrified? What was the Heir trying to do? How did they catch the Heir?

Professor Flitwick held up his hand, quieting everybody down. He continued, "Like I was saying, the Heir of Slytherin has been dealt with, and Professor Dumbledore has returned to the castle..."

Another spontaneous bout of cheering and applause. Another round of questions. All of these were fended off a second time as Professor Flitwick raised his hand for quiet again. He continued again, "We will be finishing out the school year as normal. Professor Dumbledore will explain everything at dinner, which will be held in its usual time in the Great Hall."

* * *

Dinner was as different to breakfast as Hogwarts was to Tomoeda.

The professorial escorts had ended. The silent oppressive gloom of the Heir of Slytherin was gone. The previously petrified students were being restored. Professor Dumbledore was back front and center in the Great Hall. All was right with the world.

The only thing which was odd was that Professor Lockhart was missing. His absence stood out almost as much as Professor Dumbledore or a head of house's absence would have. Despite not having such a prominent role in the staff, his celebrity status and eye-catching dress and behavior meant he couldn't help but draw attention. Normally his absence would have been immediately remarked upon, but today all the students were more interested in Professor Dumbledore's return and the story behind the Heir of Slytherin.

Once everybody had settled, Professor Dumbledore began his explanation.

He claimed that somehow Voldemort, whose name Sakura didn't recognize but caused everybody around her to wince, had been the source of the problem. The source of the attacks had been a basilisk, who had been defeated in the Chamber of Secrets through the brave actions of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. At the naming of the pair, everybody turned to face them. Ron slightly preened in the attention. The Boy Who Lived had a satisfied look of relief on his face as well, and excepting some dirt and grime looked none the worse for the wear. 

For Harry's and Ron's remarkable bravery and achievement, Professor Dumbledore was awarding Gryffindor 400 points. This easily let Gryffindor leap past Ravenclaw and take a decisive lead in the house cup, causing the Gryffindor table to break out in wild celebration. The announcement was received with much more muted applause from the other tables, especially Sakura's own. Professor Flitwick looked rather cross, but it was nothing compared to Professor Snape, who looked like he was in physical pain. Even Professor Sprout looked mildly upset. It was the first time Sakura had ever seen the normally jolly witch take on that particular facial expression.

After the cheering, mostly from the Gryffindor table, died down, Professor Dumbledore then announced that that Professor Lockhart would no longer be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Apparently some accident had befallen him to cause him to lose his memories. He would be leaving the school while he attempted to recover his memories.

The comment about Professor Lockhart's memories couldn't help but catch Sakura's attention. Her own memories had been lost as well. It was a rather large coincidence. Maybe they were related. With Professor Dumbledore's restoration to Hogwarts, at least one avenue of pursuit had opened. It sounded like this might be a second.

The final announcement Professor Dumbledore gave was that he would be canceling exams for the year. This announcement was met with near universal approval from the student body.

Professor Dumbledore then brandished his wand and gave a grand wave, causing a feast to appear at each table unlike Sakura had ever seen before. It was larger than the Halloween feast, grander than the feast after the sorting ceremony, and more opulent than anything Sakura had ever seen before.

The nominally normal dinner quickly devolved after that. Despite the bountiful feast, it could have been a snack tray for how people treated it. Nobody was in a mood to eat. Instead there was much socializing, joking around, and general partying.

As could be expected after Professor Dumbledore's announcement, Harry and Ron was the men of the hour. People flocked to them, especially Harry. A large number of Gryffindor students cheered him on or apologized to him. In all of the houses there was a single question, and only two people had the answer to it: what had actually happened?

Ron claimed to not know very much, having been separated before the actual confrontation in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry for his part was close-lipped and provided very few details. Based on how Hogwarts gossip traveled, chances were that they both would only tell the truth of what actually happened to their fellow Gryffindors in the safety of Gryffindor Tower. From there, select details would spread out to the other houses through informal channels of friendship. Maybe.

The party went on all night. With no exams, no classes the next day, no reason to go to bed, and no inclination to study, there was no reason to stop the so-called dinner. The teachers left all the students be as well, making no move to herd everybody out of the room. The teachers ate their dinner, and then started mingling as well, primarily with each other.

Sakura had the time of her life. She could tell that Syaoran and Kaho were worried, though. Probably because the year was coming to a close and these strange cards had never reappeared. Not only them, either. Keroberos, who had surreptitiously sneaked in to dinner, was worried too. Even the plethora of tasty treats wasn't enough to distract the perpetually hungry guardian beast.

* * *

Just one day after the feast, life in Hogwarts had once again returned to normal yet again. Normal normal, this time. All of the petrified students, ghost, and cat had been restored, and the fear of the Heir of Slytherin had evaporated faster than a nightmare against the morning sunlight.

Classes continued on, but it was a half-hearted affair. With the Summer Holiday right around the corner and without the threat exams, everybody just went through the motions. It was obvious the students didn't care at all, and it was equally obvious that the professors didn't want to force them to care. It was substantially less obvious that the professors didn't care either.

This new-found apathy meant that interactions between teacher and students were at an all-time low. Even detentions were down, despite student behavior being a bit more exuberant since the announcement that the Heir of Slytherin had been dealt with. About the only person regularly giving detentions was Professor Snape.

It was thus something of a surprise to Sakura when she looked up at Penelope's announcement. The restored prefect poked her head into Sakura's dorm room and said, "Sakura? Professor Mizuki is looking for you."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. She wondered what Kaho had wanted with her. Her thoughts immediately turned to Syaoran, and with that the dread in her stomach was seeded.

"She's out in the common room," Penelope added, gesturing behind her.

The dread in Sakura's stomach grew. She could count on two hands the number of times throughout the year when a professor besides Professor Flitwick had visited Ravenclaw Tower, and most of those were by the head of one of the other houses. Sakura could only worry, wondering what had happened that was so bad that Kaho had come to visit her in person.

Sakura's eyes flashed over to her bed, her dresser, and her trunk, verifying that Keroberos hadn't sneaked back into the room while she had been working at her desk. Just like the week before, Keroberos was still wandering around the halls of Hogwarts Castle in search of those strange cards. At least since Professor Dumbledore's wonderful announcement that the Heir of Slytherin had been dealt with, the level of danger Keroberos faced had dramatically decreased.

Then again, Keroberos hadn't returned. Maybe something had happened to him. Maybe something had happened to both him and Syaoran.

Sakura left her books where they were and hurried out to the common room.

As Penelope had said, Kaho was standing near the main entrance to the common room. All around the room, the various Ravenclaw students were subtly and not-subtly staring at her. The unusual nature of a random professor visiting had presumably piqued all of their interest as well.

"Professor Mizuki," Sakura greeted, her moderate voice carrying in the relatively silent common room.

"Heya!" Keroberos called out, flying out from behind Kaho. His much more energetic voice carried much more than Sakura's more tense greeting. The simple word did a lot for Sakura. It was obvious that Keroberos was safe. And happy. And excited. And generally being Keroberos. Whatever Kaho's news was, it couldn't be that bad. If anything, it was probably something good. But it was weird. Despite knowing that, Sakura's feelings of dread didn't change that much.

"Kero-chan? You're here too?" Sakura asked.

"We should probably go somewhere quieter, Sakura. Why don't you come with me to my office?" Kaho suggested.

Sakura naturally agreed and followed the two of them out of Ravenclaw Tower. As she walked, Sakura continued to feel weird. She had thought her feelings were those of unease, but she couldn't think of what she should be worried about, so it must have been something else. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it was subtly different as well.

She was still thinking about that when Kaho closed the door behind Sakura in her office and allowed Sakura to take a seat.

"We found them," Kaho said, reaching into a pocket and pulling something out.

The flash of something went through Sakura at the sight of what appeared to be a book with a bright pink cover.

"The cards?" Sakura asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, we found them," Keroberos said. Sakura only half heard him, being distracted by something.

"Professor Lockhart had them. We searched his..." Kaho started explaining, not that Sakura heard her. She felt more than heard the rush in her ears.

She knew, just knew, that the cards were inside that book.

"The Windy," Sakura whispered to herself, surprising herself as much as anything. Images of a dusty basement, and translucent chains of wind surrounding Yue.

"The Fly," Sakura whispered a bit louder. Chasing down a magical bird on her skates. Facing a giant stuffed bear.

"The Shadow," she said more confidently. A sports field bathed in light and a cloaked figure hovering along the ground. They were coming faster now.

"The Watery," she said faster.

"The Rain. The Wood. The Jump," she continued. The images, her memories, sped up more. Faster and faster until she could no longer keep up. It began as a trickle, became a flood, turned into a deluge, and was now closer an ocean. She felt lost in time and space as they surrounded and immersed her.

She felt exhausted. Not physically tired, or even emotionally tired. It was quite unlike anything she had felt before. No, not quite unlike. It did feel somewhat similar to January, when her transformation into that strange cat hybrid had been reverted. There was a relief for that pressure she had felt but not realized for the past week, and it felt like the not-quite bump near her head had finally been removed.

Kaho and Keroberos were both watching her in concern as she came to. She found herself sitting on a chair. She weakly said, "I remember."

"You do? The cards and everything?" Keroberos asked.

Sakura nodded as she picked up the book and the Key from Kaho, returning them to the rightful place in her robe and around her neck. The Key settled down next to the necklace she had received from Syaoran, bumping into it. The two necklaces around her neck were mismatched and they kept banging into each other. That had been why she hadn't worn Syaoran's necklace very often, she now remembered.

"It was Professor Lockhart," Sakura explained quickly. "He got me alone and cast something. Obrarilate or something. He then took the cards and the Key."

"I see. I had suspected as much when we found them hidden in a trunk of his," Kaho said.

"'I see.' Is that all you can say? He attacked Sakura and stole the cards! He should be punished!" Keroberos said, staring down at Kaho from above.

"And he knows about the cards. He might try to take them again," Sakura added. Her decision to not return to Hogwarts the next year was feeling more and more correct all the time. Kaho and Eriol had warned about the cards being a target for theft, but she hadn't fully appreciated what that had meant. As it was, she would be counting the days until she could leave.

Kaho held up her hand to forestall any protests. Once Sakura and Keroberos became silent, Kaho explained, "He's already been punished, in a manner of speaking. He tried to erase the memory of some other students too, but the spell backfired and he erased all of his own memory."

So she hadn't been his only victim? Sakura wasn't sure if that made her feel better or feel worse.

"Se he can't remember anything? No cards, and no attacking me?" Sakura asked to make sure.

"He can't remember anything, from what we can tell. Total amnesia. He can't even remember any of the books he wrote," Kaho explained.

The punishment might be appropriate, but it felt so inadequate somehow.

A loud knock on the door interrupted them. Sakura double checked that her cards and the Key were out of sight as Kaho opened the door. Syaoran was standing outside of the door, out of breath. He asked, "You called?"

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura said, bursting with the good news. It must have been what Keroberos had felt earlier in Ravenclaw tower. She grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him into the room. She excitedly gushed out, "We found them. I remember now."

* * *

Last Updated: August 30, 2014


	14. Sakura's Goodbye to Hogwarts

Chapter 14: Sakura's Goodbye to Hogwarts

Another year done. Not only that, it was Sakura's last year, barring unexpected and exceptional circumstances.

Without any exams to punctuate a finale, the school year simply coasted to a slow and gradual end. Several classes recapped everything they had covered throughout the year; a couple of professors opened their last class to be about anything the students wanted to discuss; and then it was all over. The only thing left was the end-of-term feast. Everybody looked forward to that. After that, there would be one last night at Hogwarts Castle, and then everybody would re-scatter across the country and around the world.

The vast majority of the students would be leaving via the Hogwarts Express. Sakura and Syaoran would not be, though. They would be departing with Kaho via floo again. All of Sakura's friends already knew that. She had left that way the previous year, but just in case she had made it a point to tell them all again.

Sakura was taking the opportunity of the light final school day to spend as much time as she could with her friends. There was still the secret party in Hufflepuff Basement in the evening, which Wayne had once again invited her and the others to, but that was no reason to squander any of her remaining time at Hogwarts. She wanted to make every minute count. After all, it would very possibly be the last time she would ever see them.

Unsurprisingly by this point, Sakura had been unable to locate Anthony. He had continued to avoid her ever since Halloween. Most likely he was spending time with one of his new friends, like Terry or Michael. Gloria was easy to find, though. Lisa too, along with her constant companion Wayne. Keroberos was a given, along with Syaoran. Roger and Giles tagged along with Syaoran as well, as they tended to do. Luna was there too, taking advantage of the implicit acceptance rather than an explicit invitation.

"No fair. Just because we can't use them," Gloria complained as Syaoran easily floated in circles around the group on Sakura's skates as they loitered around one of the numerous hallways of Hogwarts. The skate's perky color scheme looked a bit silly on his feet, but his robes covered most of the pink and white.

"It's not my fault you got no magic power," Syaoran said. He slowed down only the slightest amount to address the girl as he spoke.

"No, really, when are you going to show us how they really work? Today's the last day," Roger said from right beside Gloria.

"We already told you. You can either use them or you can't. There's nothing to teach. Just look at Luna. She can use them just fine," Keroberos said, easily floating backwards as well.

"You'll tell us, right, Luna?" Giles asked the girl who was sitting on the floor.

"Sure," Luna said. She looked upwards airily. "You need to find the biggest secret in the world, and then make it bigger, and bigger, and bigger."

"Sure..." Wayne said skeptically.

Sakura quietly sat back and enjoyed the companionable atmosphere while it lasted. She had problems and worries, but those were for another day. She just soaked up the ambiance of contentment while she could, knowing for the moment that there was nothing that needed doing.

In this un-distracted state, it was easy for Sakura to feel Eriol's and Kaho's approach. The signature of their magic was obvious, even in the magically drenched Hogwarts Castle. Much like Syaoran, their presence cut through the background like an island on the ocean, both stalwart and unmistakable. She didn't even bother turning her head to confirm her perception.

"Nice bit of kit there, Syaoran. Did you make them yourself? Hogwarts must have changed quite a bit," Eriol said several seconds later, confirming half of Sakura's feelings.

"That kid? No way he could pull something like that off," Keroberos said before Syaoran could answer.

"Hey. I helped," Syaoran cut in. Sakura could just imagine the stares the two of them were throwing at each other, each trying to cut the other down to size by glares alone.

"Then it must have been you, Sakura. Very nice. A bit rough, but it works. Good job," Eriol said. Sakura opened her eyes and sat forward, turning to face the boy as decorum demanded. Beside him stood Kaho, confirming the other half of her earlier perception.

Eriol looked basically the same he did the last time she had seen him about nine months prior. He was a bit taller, a bit older looking, but still appeared to be an average carefree boy surrounded with an aura of mystery. The only real difference she noticed was the sword strapped to his hip.

"Thanks, Eriol," Sakura said. She stood up so she was closer to eye-level with him. She felt the warmth of pride at his declaration of acceptance. The skates could be improved, as she well knew, but his overall approval mattered more to her than she had expected it would.

"I heard you had a bit of trouble a few weeks ago. Sorry I wasn't around to help. I came as soon as I heard," Eriol said. He actually did look a bit more tired than usual. It wasn't anything too extreme. Sakura doubted she would have noticed without him having mentioned it.

"Trouble?" Gloria asked, looking to Lisa. Now that Sakura thought about it, nobody had ever told Gloria about the cards going missing and their later recovery.

Lisa shook her head, motioning slightly to the various Slytherin boys.

"It's okay. I'm all better now," Sakura said.

"If you're sure. Do you mind?" Eriol asked. A large staff appeared in his hand as he spoke. Roger and Giles took a step back at this, while Lisa and Gloria looked a bit surprised themselves. Luna didn't react at all.

Sakura wasn't sure what what Eriol was asking, but trusted he wasn't asking anything too outlandish. She said, "No."

Eriol lowered the tip of the staff to just barely rest on Sakura's head. It was held so lightly that she hardly felt it on her hair. She could feel him doing something, although she didn't see any visible effect. She did see Syaoran slowly moving to a more cautiously ready position.

This went on for a bit of time. After almost a minute, Roger quietly asked Syaoran, "What's he doing?"

Nobody answered the open question. The group fell silent and motionless, watching the immobile pair.

After a few more minutes, Sakura felt Eriol stop whatever he was doing. He then lifted the staff before letting it vanish from sight as quickly as it had appeared.

"Do we need to call you Dame Kinomoto now?" Luna asked, being the first to break the silence. She actually pronounced her name correctly, being one of the handful of people in the castle who did so.

"Hoe? I don't think so," Sakura said. She wasn't familiar with what a dame was, but she was relatively sure that if she hadn't been one before then she wasn't one now.

Kaho gave a light laugh, and said, "No, Luna. Sakura hasn't been knighted."

"Hey, don't just stay quiet. Is everything okay?" Syaoran asked the more practical question.

"For the most part. There are a couple of things," Eriol said. A lump of worry appeared in Sakura's gut.

"Be nice, Eriol," Kaho said. "I'm sure he means that there's just some minor residual effect of the memory charm. Everything will be fine in a few days."

"Eriol," Sakura protested, feeling both relieved and annoyed.

"Isn't that what I said?" Eriol asked mischievously.

Another feeling caused Sakura to turn around. Syaoran turned at the same time, she noticed. Approaching from the other side of the hallway was Professor Dumbledore. He was walking at a sedate pace, much less fast and determined than she knew he could. His magic also stood out against the background of magic in Hogwarts Castle. It was enough to be noticeable, even if it wasn't as prominent as the wizards and witches from East Asia.

"Hello, Professor Dumbledore," several people said at the same time.

"Hello," Professor Dumbledore said. "Mr. Hiiragizawa, I had heard you had decided to visit Hogwarts Castle. It looks like a bit of a party here. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Not at all, Albus. I was just saying hello to Sakura and the others," Eriol said. His reaction completely took Sakura by surprise. She was already somewhat taken aback by the fact that Professor Dumbledore seemed to know Eriol. That Eriol was on a first name basis with the headmaster was just one step too far for her.

"You two know each other?" Sakura asked.

"Only briefly. We met last summer," Eriol said.

"Yes, which brings me to the topic at hand," Professor Dumbledore said. "My offer still stands, Mr. Hiiragizawa. I hope you've reconsidered joining us here."

"I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I still can't join Hogwarts at this time. There isn't a place for me here. Maybe in a few years, once everything's settled and if I like the direction the school is taking," Eriol said.

"You're turning down an offer to come to Hogwarts? The premier magical school in the country?" Gloria exclaimed. She wasn't the only one. All of the British students stared at Eriol as if he were crazy.

"That's a shame. I fear I yet again find myself in need of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I was hoping that you might be able to fill the position," Professor Dumbledore said.

"What?" all of the British students shouted. They turned to stare at Eriol as if he had grown a second head, and then at Professor Dumbledore as if he had grown a third and a fourth one.

"For that position? In that case, you'll need to wait for the curse to be lifted too," Eriol said impishly.

"A professor? He looks younger than we are," Roger whispered to Giles.

"Eriol knows a lot. He taught me lots of stuff," Sakura said. There was the differences between Eastern and Western magic, and wands, and the cards, and the basis of charms, not to mention everything Eriol had done for her in Japan. She had learned at least as much from him as from any professor in Hogwarts.

"Of course. You're from Japan," Giles said. It earned him a smack from Syaoran.

"Very well. If you change your mind, you know where to find me. Until then, good day," Professor Dumbledore said, addressing the last to the group as a whole. He then left.

"A professor?" Roger asked again, this time louder and to Eriol.

Eriol looked at him, appearing far wiser than his apparent age would allow. He said, "You shouldn't judge things by appearances. Haven't they taught you anything useful here?"

"If you started teaching, you could change that," Kaho said.

"We've talked about this. Maybe in a few years, after..." Eriol said. He then trailed off. Sakura could easily fill in the blank. After the whirlwind of prophesy had come and passed, as Kaho had described it.

When it became clear Eriol wasn't going to finish the sentence, Gloria asked, "After what?" This only earned her a shrug from Eriol.

Sakura decided to change the subject. The question had nagged at her since she had first caught sight of Eriol. She asked, "What's that sword?"

"What? This?" Eriol asked. He pulled the sword out and then took a flick and swing with it. Giles took a step back while Luna let it slice through the air in front of her without reacting. "It's something I had to carry around in my last school. It's versatile, but a bit too much if you ask me. Truth be told, I had forgotten all about it."

"School? You're still going to school?" Syaoran asked.

"We're always learning things throughout our life," Eriol said.

"You had to carry a sword around there?" Sakura asked.

"I had to play by their rules for a bit or I would have been forced out before I learned what I wanted. It doesn't really matter," Eriol said.

He flicked the sword a couple more times before throwing it high up in the air. It tumbled upward, flipping end over end, out of control. It reached an apex and then started to fall, on perfect track to land on his head. Somebody screamed. Even Sakura, who had the utmost confidence in Eriol, felt a stab of worry jolt through her.

Kaho reached out and deftly grabbed the sword by its hilt, at which point the weapon vanished. With a hint of reproach in her voice, she said, "If you are quite finish scaring them, we should get going. I have some last goodbyes to say to everybody."

"Spoilsport," Eriol said. He stood aside and said, "After you. Good day, everybody."

"See you later, Eriol. Professor Mizuki," Sakura said.

"Later," Syaoran said.

Kaho and Eriol started walking down the hall, looking more like a mother leading her son around her workplace than their actual relationship.

Giles and Roger exchanged a look, and then ran after them shouting, "Wait up! How'd you do that?"

"So, that was Eriol?" Gloria asked, leveling a flat gaze at Sakura.

"Yes," Sakura said.

"You have some weird friends," Luna said.

"You don't know the half of it," Syaoran said, shaking his head.

"You said he was just a normal boy," Gloria accused Lisa.

"He did not act like that last summer," Lisa said.

The whole exchange bemused Sakura. It was just like Eriol. Wherever he poked around, chaos was sure to follow.

* * *

The end-of-term feast was fine. It might have even been amazing. It had splendid food. It had wonderful drinks. It had an inspiring speech by Professor Dumbledore. Overall it was quite the memorable event.

Yet somehow it still proved to be anti-climactic.

The awarding of the house cup was a foregone conclusion. Professor Dumbledore's awarding of 400 points to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley had cinched the victory for Gryffindor. The only thing which could change the result would be another last minute surprise by Professor Dumbledore. The students in Ravenclaw secretly hoped for one, but didn't honestly expect it would happen. They weren't to be surprised. The cup was an easy victory for Gryffindor by dozens of points.

Except for the awarding of the house cup, which had been entirely predictable, everything else in the feast had been completely overshadowed by the impromptu and unscheduled party held just a few weeks earlier. Professor Dumbledore's inspirational speech to never forget the lessons learned at the school and to depend on the lifelong friendships forged through years of late-night studying and gaming couldn't hope to compete against the simple declaration that a giant basilisk had been defeated in the legendary Chamber of Secrets and the commensurate sense of relief and celebration that that statement had brought with it.

The food was good as well, but it was certainly no better than the feast that had graced the table a year prior. Sakura was still tempted to gorge herself, but forced herself to exhibit restraint. There would be more snacks at the Hufflepuff party, and Sakura didn't want to overindulge herself.

The feast ended sedately, leaving plenty of time for students to finish any last minute packing in preparation for the trip home on the Hogwarts Express.

After dinner, Sakura spent a bit of time in the Ravenclaw Common Room in the miniature social gathering which had formed there. Partway through it, she met Lisa's eye and they jointly agreed to head back to their dorm room. Officially they were going to pack and to go to bed for an early evening. Instead Sakura deliberately checked around to make sure everything was in order, and then pulled out the book which held the Sakura Cards.

"Key which hides the powers of stars, show your true power before me. Under the contract, Sakura commands you. Release," Sakura quickly chanted in Japanese once she was sure that she and Lisa were alone in the room. She then pulled out the appropriate card and said, "Illusion, create a barrier to mask our passage. Illusion."

The image of a tapestry appeared and settled around both her and Lisa. While both of them could see the other, past experiments had proven that they would be basically undetectable to everybody else. However the effect wasn't exceptionally wide, so Lisa had to stay fairly close to Sakura as they traveled.

The Ravenclaw Common Room still had a fair number of students enjoying their last evening together. Sakura didn't pay it any mind, excepting to avoid knocking into anybody. She had to give her fellow students a wide berth. She'd been caught off-guard by in the past by how unexpectedly people moved when they thought nobody was near them.

The presence of The Illusion let Sakura open the main door of the Ravenclaw Common Room without fear. Despite the number of spectators, the door's movements were masked just as effectively as Sakura's and Lisa's movements were as they slipped out of Ravenclaw Tower. From there, it was a quick journey to Hufflepuff Basement. As they went, Sakura occasionally turned around to see if they were being followed. Luna was frightfully perceptive and intuitive at times, if a bit ignorant and gullible. Despite the fact that Wayne and Lisa had pointedly not invited her, Sakura half-expected her to find a way to tag along as she always did. While Sakura couldn't feel her presence nearby, it didn't hurt to be careful.

The trip went without incident. They had to be a bit cautious as they passed Mrs. Norris, but the cat was just as susceptible to optical, olfactory, and auditory illusions as humans and ghosts were. They passed without being detected. It was only when they drew close to Hufflepuff Basement that Sakura and Lisa ducked into a small alcove out of sight of any passing people, ghosts, and portraits. Sakura then released The Illusion. This left her and Lisa plainly visible. Then, after one last turn in the corridor, they were in the Hufflepuff dormitories.

"Lisa," Wayne greeted almost immediately upon entering.

"Hello, Wayne. Thank you for the invitation," Lisa greeted back.

Sakura took a look around the cozy room of the Hufflepuff Common Room. It was filled to the brim with yellow scarves and badger badges, although there were enough raven, lion, and even the occasional snake badge to catch the eye. In a word, it was exactly what she had been expecting, except for one thing. Syaoran hadn't arrived yet, nor was he close as far as she could tell.

"Of course. Glad you could come. Help yourself to a drink. There's lots of butterbeer," Wayne said, leading both Lisa and Sakura in. While he said that to both of them, Sakura knew he was primarily addressing Lisa.

"Thanks," Sakura and Lisa said, both helping themselves to a bottle on a table near the side of the room.

"Gloria's here, and she's off talking to... some Quidditch person. I haven't seen Syaoran yet, but I might have missed him," Wayne said.

"You go ahead. I'm going to wait for Syaoran," Sakura said.

"Suit yourself," Wayne said.

"See you later," Lisa said.

Both of them took their leave.

Sakura took a quick glance at the large selection of foods and drinks set out before making her way away from the line of tables near the side of the room. There would be plenty of time to come back once Syaoran arrived. She only helped herself to a quick cauldron cake before heading back to the entrance.

While her first impression of the room was that it was like the party at the end of her first year, as she wound her way through the crowd her opinion of that subtly changed. Unlike the only other experience she had had with the secret Hufflepuff party, this one was much less uniform. Last time, the only thing on everybody's lips had been the story of Harry Potter, the strange adventures of the Gryffindor students, and the unprecedented awarding of 170 points at the feast just hours prior. While the Chamber of Secrets might have filled the same role, it was old news by this point and no longer dominated the gossip circles. Everybody already knew, or thought they knew, what had happened: the parseltongue password to the Chamber of Secrets, Moaning Myrtle's bizarre involvement, the fraudulence of Professor Lockhart, and the enormous basilisk. There were still some minor questions, such as whether Harry had hypnotized the beast with his voice before immolating it, but they were only minor questions. The Chamber of Secrets was still a major topic of gossip at the party, but it was far from the only one.

Indeed there seemed to be another rumor passing through the crowd, albeit only to the Hufflepuff members of it. Every time Sakura drew near, the topic would abruptly change. She only heard bits of fragments, with a name like "Herbert" and the occasional mention of something about a vampire. It severely piqued her interest, but she doubted she would be able to find out more. Maybe Gloria or especially Lisa would be able to learn the story from Wayne in the privacy of the Hogwarts Express during the trip home from school, but Sakura doubted she would ever know what had happened.

It happened again as she took a seat near the entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitories. She heard the trailing end of, "...forest shack. And... uhh..." before there was the inevitable subject change, "... can you be believe Professor Dumbledore? The second year in a row. It must have hurt Ravenclaw the most. Oh, hey. You're in Ravenclaw, right?" The last was directed to Sakura. The stocky boy with sandy hair talked past his companion to address her. "What do you think about it? My name's Philip, by the way."

"Edward," the other Hufflepuff boy said, turning to include her in their conversation as well. 

"Sakura," Sakura introduced herself.

"Yeah, so what'd you think about Professor Dumbledore handing Gryffindor the win again? It must have been a real punch in the gut," Edward repeated.

Sakura let out a sigh. It had been the talk of Ravenclaw Tower ever since the day after Professor Dumbledore announced the defeat of the Heir of Slytherin, once the initial feeling of euphoric relief had had a chance to run its course.

"It's... it's... it's rubbish," Sakura said, giving up on trying to think of a polite way to phrase both her opinion and the general consensus of Ravenclaw. "What's the point of the competition if Professor Dumbledore's just going to give Gryffindor the house cup every year?"

"I agree," Philip said. "On the one hand, a basilisk, but on the other hand, the whole thing is pants. Gryffindor wasn't even close until Professor Dumbledore gave Harry and Ron all those points. I don't know about you Ravenclaws, but I don't think anybody in Hufflepuff will give a toss next year."

"Don't tell anybody, but Professor Sprout was livid. We do the right thing all year, and then those prankster Gryffindors come in and steal the cup. She almost gave us 400 points right there," Philip said.

"Professor Flitwick too," Sakura said. "I heard that Professor Snape was furious as well."

"Yeah. My heart really goes out to Professor Snape, you know," Edward said sarcastically. "That slimy git rigs the competition almost as much as Professor Dumbledore did."

"He's not a slimy git. He's a nice person," Sakura protested. It'd been a long time since she had heard that accusation, especially from a non-Gryffindor. Among her friends, only Gloria and sometimes Wayne complained about Professor Snape, and neither of them had done so within earshot of Sakura for months.

"Sure he is, if you're in Slytherin," Philip said.

"He is," Sakura insisted in what she knew was a pointless protest. She had yet to convince any student who didn't already like him that Professor Snape was a good person.

"Sure, sure," Edward said, dismissing her assertion. "I can just picture him next year, giving out points by the dozen to his Slytherins. Slytherin's up by 500 points by the end of the year."

"Not that it'd do any good. All the other professors would notice and start giving out more points too," Sakura reasoned.

"And then Professor Dumbledore would have to give out even more to hand Gryffindor the victory yet again," Philip concluded. "I can just hear it now. 'For stopping an attack on the Ministry of Magic, I award Harry Potter 1000 points, giving Gryffindor the house cup.'"

"Not that he wouldn't deserve it. Just don't expect me to give a toss about the house cup anymore," Edward said.

Sakura stayed silent. She knew everybody in Ravenclaw, including herself, was upset, but she was surprised by the extent the sentiment was shared with the other houses as well. Hufflepuff hadn't even been in second place prior to Gryffindor's point leap.

The house cup, and any changes to it, were beyond her caring, though. It would never affect her again. It would have been nice to have won, as they had been expected to for most of the second half of the school year, but there was nothing that could be done about it now.

She quietly edged her way away from Philip and Edward as a familiar presence approached. The last thing she heard from the two boys was speculation about whether Harry and Ron had actually asked for the points, or if it had been purely Professor Dumbledore's and possibly Professor McGonagall's idea.

Sakura arrived at the door just as Syaoran appeared. He was alone. She had had this idle wonder if somehow Roger and Giles would come too. There was no way Syaoran would have told them, and they were far less tenacious than Luna was, but it had been a thought despite that.

"Hey there," Syaoran greeted, quickening his pace a bit upon catching sight of her.

"Syaoran-kun," Sakura greeted, moving forward to take his hand. She pulled him forward. "Come in. Are you thirsty? They've got a lot of drinks."

"Now that you mention it. What're you having?" Syaoran asked, pointing to the bottle Sakura had in her other hand.

"It's butterbeer," Sakura said.

"Butterbeer? What's that?" Syaoran asked.

"Here, try some," Sakura offered, handing him her half-full bottle.

Syaoran took the bottle and took a drink. He handed it back, saying, "That taste's good. Where'd you get it?"

"Over here," Sakura said, leading Syaoran deeper into the party and to the drinks table.

* * *

"I'm serious," Sakura said. "I want to hear all about your new school."

"Oh, of course," Gloria said. "So I guess that's it, then."

"Yeah. It's been fun," Syaoran said.

"Have a safe trip," Lisa said.

"You too," Sakura said.

With that, Gloria, Lisa, and Wayne turned and left the Great Hall. They turned and gave a last wave before disappearing through the large doors leading to the entrance of Hogwarts Castle.

"Whew. What a year. I'm going to miss it. It's not like I can just fly around in Tokyo like I do here," Keroberos said.

"You've survived there before. You've got to be used to it by now," Syaoran said.

"I'm going to miss it, too," Sakura said, still in English. Despite the fact that all of the British students had left, after all her time in the castle it felt more proper to be speaking in English to match the setting.

"I won't. All those people always looking at me suspiciously, and all those supposed accidents. The only place I could really relax was in the Slytherin dormitories, and even that had far more prats than natural," Syaoran said.

"Sorry," Sakura said, as she had the past several times Syaoran had mentioned how life in Slytherin had been.

"It's not your fault. I was the one who decided to come here," Syaoran repeated his normal reply. "I'm just glad it's all over."

"Sakura, Syaoran," Kaho called out, catching the attention of the only two students still visible in the Great Hall. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Syaoran said, picking up his luggage.

"Sure," Sakura said, following suit.

Suifui naturally pecked sharply towards Keroberos. The cage prevented Syaoran's owl from actually reaching Keroberos, but it still caused a sharp rap to echo around the empty room. His owl had grown a bit throughout the year, but any increased intimidation from its larger size was ruined by the sturdy bars which surrounded it. The Guardian Beast responded by blowing a raspberry back at the caged bird.

Kaho led the group onward along the long familiar path to her office, where they would use the floo to return to Clow Manor. From there they would take a portkey back to Hong Kong, and Sakura would then catch the relatively short flight back home.

They could have taken the portkey directly from Hogwarts Castle, but Sakura wanted to say her goodbyes to Eriol, Ruby, and Spinel. With any luck, she would be able to get Eriol to explain a bit about where he had been over the past year too. Based on the show from the day before, that was a story at least as exciting as her own.

As they walked, Sakura felt increasingly sentimental. It hit her harder than the previous year, when she had only spent a single school year in Hogwarts and when she hadn't been sure whether or not she would come back. This time she was sure. She wouldn't be. This would be the last time she would see Hogwarts Castle. Ever. The place where she had spent almost two years of her life. The place where she had learned so much. The place where she had had so much fun.

She wasn't quite ready to leave yet.

"Do... do you think we can take one last look around the castle? Just to kind of say goodbye," Sakura asked as they reached Kaho office. When she actually verbalized it out loud, the idea sounded kind of silly.

"If you want to," Syaoran said, although he didn't look particularly enthusiastic.

"I'm in no real hurry. Let's drop your things off in my office first," Kaho suggested. It was an obvious suggestion as her office was right in front of them.

They left their luggage just inside the room, and Kaho closed the door behind them.

"So, where to first?" Keroberos asked.

Sakura thought a bit. What would be the most appropriate place? It was hard to say. The most obvious place was Ravenclaw Tower. It was the place where she had slept, studied, and generally just lived throughout the years, but she had just been there in the morning. The Great Hall was the second most obvious place, what with two Sorting Ceremonies, two end-of-year feasts, one-and-a-half Halloweens, countless informal gatherings, even more meals, and other general miscellaneous activities. However it suffered the same problem as Ravenclaw Tower.

She ended up pointing in a direction at random and declared, "That way."

The group had only taken a couple of turns, selected more or less at random, before Sakura passed what was otherwise an ordinary fork in the hallway. It was a place Sakura would never forget. It was where she had had her confrontation with Peeves when he had stolen Syaoran's White Day gift. That had been a remarkably satisfying day, although it had led to other problems. Peeves was barely in sight down the corridor, but he disappeared at the sight of the four of them. She reflexively looked to Syaoran, who looked back but didn't say anything. Sakura hesitated only briefly, reminiscing momentarily, before turning and moving on without comment.

She passed by the Transfigurations classroom, which housed one of her favorite classes as well as one of her favorite teachers. Sakura gave a quick knock on the door before poking her head into the room. Nobody was there, but the tables were all lined up in preparation for a class which would not arrive for months yet. The chalkboards in the front of the room had various complicated diagrams and pictures Sakura could make no sense of. They were probably left over from the last class of the school year. As there was nobody around, Sakura quickly led the group away.

The ever changing stairs and corridors led Sakura next to the Astronomy Tower.

"It's a lot nicer here during the day," Syaoran said, as much to himself as to Sakura, Keroberos, and Kaho. They were all alone up in the tower. To the best of Sakura's knowledge, Professor Sinistra never went up there during the day.

"Too bad Astronomy class is always at night," Sakura said. It was much better during the day as compared to when they had classes, in the middle of the cold and dank Scottish nights. The view of the forbidden forest, the lake, the Quidditch pitch, and Hogsmead were amazing.

Sakura walked to the edge of the Astronomy Tower and leaned over to get a better view. She held no fear of the height, confident in her ability to handle things if she improbably fell off the tower. She was trying to trace the path she had taken to follow The Jump on that day it had gone rogue. She was able to determine the route she must have taken to run from the Quidditch pitch back to the castle, but the scenery looked so different from above that she didn't recognize it at all. In contrast, it was easy to see the direction she had flown from Ravenclaw Tower back into the forest. She lost track once she traced her path past the tree line. She had no chance of determining the exact path she had taken underneath the forest canopy.

"I should have come up here more often," Kaho idly commented from beside Sakura, standing slightly farther away from the edge.

Sakura took one last look around the entire tower, trying to burn the image of beautiful Scotland into her memory. Ravenclaw Tower was higher, but the openness of the Astronomy Tower made it more scenic. 

"Ready to go?" Sakura asked. A few nods later and Sakura headed back down the Astronomy Tower with Keroberos, Syaoran, and Kaho.

Sakura passed by Professor McGonagall's classroom again, continued onward, and stopped at the Grand Staircase. Granted it wasn't intentional, but it was appropriate. She had been delayed countless times here, and as a result had been late to class more than once. As the stairs maneuvered through the air, Sakura's eyes glanced over to the particular flight of stairs she had flown off of before landing unceremoniously onto Luna. Not this time.

Once the stairs had settled on a configuration, Sakura continued onward. The particular path she was taking would eventually bring her to the Potions classroom, but not before she passed by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. She could still remember screaming and running away from the equally screaming ghost. Back then she had thought Myrtle was just another Peeves. How wrong she was. Who could have guessed back then that the ghost and her bathroom had hidden such a big secret.

"I wonder what's going to happen to Myrtle now," Syaoran asked as they passed by.

"I don't know. I hope she'll be okay," Sakura said.

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Hogwarts treats its ghosts well," Kaho said.

As Kaho spoke, they approached one ghost Sakura would have preferred hadn't been treated so well. She had to suppress a reflexive yawn as they neared the History of Magic classroom. She credited that class as much as anything for her overcoming her old fear of ghosts. However, that didn't mean she wanted a reminder, let alone a meeting with Professor Binns. She pressed onward.

"Come on. Let's go. I want to see if Professor Snape is still around," Sakura said. She hurried onward to the Potions classroom.

Much like the Transfiguration classroom earlier, Sakura knocked on the door frame before poking her head into the Potions classroom. Unlike Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape was in the room. He was hovering over three simmering cauldrons and was in the process of dicing some plant. From the door, the plant looked like nightshade.

Professor Snape briefly glanced up, and said, "Kinomoto. If you've missed the Hogwarts Express you should go see Professor Flitwick or Professor Dumbledore." He then turned back to his cutting.

"We're quite all right, Professor Snape. We're just doing one last tour of the castle," Kaho said.

"Ah, Professor Mizuki," Professor Snape said, without looking up. He dismissively said, "I'm sorry I missed your going away party. Prior engagement, you understand." He spoke in a flat and uninterested voice, as if declaring what he had had for breakfast.

"That's quite understandable. I'm sure it was very important," Kaho said.

"I just wanted to say goodbye, and thank you for all you've taught me," Sakura said. "I'm not coming back here next year, you see."

Professor Snape whipped out his wand and waved it over the cutting board. He then mounted his wand on a stand to the side such that it was being held over a cauldron. He looked up again, and said, "I had heard about Li, but you too?"

"Yes, sir," Sakura said.

A bit of a glower came to Professor Snape's face. On anybody else it could have been a frown, but certainly not on Professor Snape's face. He said, as much as asked, "I take it your both leaving at the same time is related?"

"Yes, sir," Syaoran said.

"That's a waste. You both have talent. Talk to Li, Kinomoto. I've already given him a list of books you can use to develop yourself in the wastelands of Asia. Now if you'll excuse me, my Displacement Draught is in a critical phase," Professor Snape said. He then picked up his cutting board and flipped it over, dropping its content, knife and all, into the left-most cauldron.

Sakura departed without a word, following behind Kaho and Syaoran. She knew better than to distract Professor Snape unduly when he was in the middle of brewing something. That he spared a few seconds in the middle of a critical phase of crafting a potion already spoke volumes. His providing advice to her and Li about ways to continue studying Potions also meant much more than it might seem to somebody who didn't know the terse Potions-Master's personality.

They were only halfway down the corridor from the Potions classroom when a loud bang sounded throughout the hallway. And suddenly Sakura had a face full of pie. She automatically scraped the pie off and wiped her eyes and mouth clear.

"What was that?" Syaoran asked.

"Probably one of the twin's jokes," Kaho said.

"Ick," Sakura said. She raised her wand in preparation to cast a charm to clean her face.

"I wouldn't," Kaho stopped her. "The Weasleys are tricky. It's safer to wash it off the muggle way, preferably at a muggle washroom. Who knows what they charmed the pie to do against magic? Don't eat any, by the way," Kaho warned. She handed over a small handkerchief to Sakura as well.

"Aww," Keroberos complained, flicking away the piece of pie he had obtained.

Sakura wiped the majority of the pie clear as they walked, but she could still feel the remnants of it left over on her face. It was perfect in a way. They had moved on and were passing by the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. That class had been wonderful her first year, excepting for the fact that Professor Quirrel had been possessed the entire time. It had been mostly useless her second year. Between that and how Professor Lockhart had attacked her, she couldn't help but feel as if the class had been similar to the pie on her face, if not substantially worse. She didn't bother stopping as they continued.

"It was here, you know, where Professor Lockhart attacked me," Sakura explained, two turns later. She didn't really want to remember the attack. However, she didn't want to not remember it either. After all, the attack had robbed her memories, and not remembering it had been the problem. It felt weird.

"Don't worry. He's currently in St. Mungo's. It's doubtful he'll ever be in a position to hurt anybody ever again," Kaho said.

"That's no help. What's to stop him from recovering his memories too?" Syaoran asked.

"Well, Sakura has a lot more magic power than he does, for one," Kaho said. "But even if he does recover, enough people know the truth about his actions that he'd be sent straight to Azkaban if he ever recovered enough to stand trial."

"Azkaban? What's that?" Sakura asked.

"It's a wizard prison. It's not a very nice place," Kaho said. She didn't provide any other details, and nobody asked for more.

As they walked away, Sakura wondered who the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be and if he or she would be any good. She would need to ask Lisa or Wayne a few months into the next term to see what they thought. She was also wondering if that new professor would be able to last for more than a year.

Sakura passed by the corridor where she, along with Keroberos and Syaoran, had spent a great deal of time experimenting while trying to discover her own magic. She exchanged a quick glance with those two. She didn't dwell, though. It was also the place where they had been attacked by that basilisk. The basilisk was dead and would never threaten anybody ever again, but the area still made her anxious.

Equally brief was the glimpse of the entrance to Professor Dumbledore's office. She had seen the headmaster infrequently and had only been to his office once. It was back when she had tried to learn more about Clow Reed, not that she had been very successful in that effort. However, the sight did remind her that she needed to have a talk with Eriol about Clow later. She was sure he would have some interesting stories about the enigmatic creator of the cards, and she had been in ignorance of the man who had had such an influence on her life for far too long.

Sakura did take the time to dwell in the library a moment, though. Even without any other students, the towers of books all around the room still imposed a solemn atmosphere of silence. She almost shouted out for Gray Lady, just to see if Madam Pince was around and would shush her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She also doubted Gray Lady would appreciate it. The ghost had never quite warmed up to Syaoran and had always been agitated whenever she saw Sakura with him. Sakura had never been able to figure out why. It was yet another Hogwarts mystery she would never learn the answer to in a castle full of mysteries, both known and unknown.

She also paused at the Charms classroom. Sakura knocked at the closed door, and heard Professor Flitwick's muffled voice a second later. The door then opened on its own, revealing the half-goblin sitting at his desk.

"Sakura? Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but hasn't the Hogwarts Express already left? What are you still doing here?" Professor Flitwick asked.

"I'm actually taking the floo with Professor Mizuki and the others," Sakura said.

"Are you?" Professor Flitwick asked. He didn't give her a chance to answer, following up immediately by saying, "Right, right, you told me that. So, how can I help you?"

"It's nothing. I just wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I left," Sakura said.

"That's right. You're not coming back next year, are you? I'm sorry to see you leave. You've made a lot of progress this year, especially in the last few weeks. I'm sure if you keep it up, you'll be quite the Charms-Mistress when you grow up. Just remember; practice, practice, practice," Professor Flitwick said.

"Thank you, sir," Sakura said.

"Take care, Sakura. You too, Kaho. Syaoran," Professor Flitwick said.

"Bye," Syaoran said.

"Take care," Kaho said.

They were nearing the end of their path. The last main stop was the hospital wing. Sakura didn't even have a chance to knock before Madam Pomfrey was on her feet, exclaiming, "Good heavens. What's happened? Is somebody hurt?"

"Hoe?" Sakura asked. "I don't think so. Is something wrong?"

"Well, everybody should have left for the Hogwarts Express by now. I thought you were here because something happened," Madam Pomfrey said. She put the bag she had clutched back down.

"No. We were just saying our last goodbyes," Syaoran explained. "Thanks for taking care of me back in February."

"Think nothing of it. It's my job, after all. I'm glad it's all sorted itself out, although we never did figure out what was wrong with you, did we?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"I thought it was magical exhaustion," Syaoran said.

"I meant the real source, not that old wives' tale," Madam Pomfrey said.

Sakura was about to protest, but felt Kaho rest her hand on her shoulder.

"Well, all's well that ends well," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Very true," Kaho agreed.

"Anyway, we're just dropping by to say thanks for all your help," Sakura said.

Of the things in Hogwarts she would miss, the hospital wing was probably the one she would miss the most. Somehow there didn't seem to be a muggle equivalent. She had seen more strange maladies treated here, including her own injuries such as the breaks and burns from an exploding broom, than she could imagine being dealt with in a more traditional hospital. Without the safety net of Madam Pomfrey's hospital, she would need to be much more cautious with her experiments going forward.

A sudden thought struck Sakura, and on the spur of the moment she asked, "Actually, do you know any good books on healing magic, or other things to learn about it?"

"Hmm..." Madam Pomfrey turned her head in thought. "There's a few books, but they're pretty specialized. Let me think what what would be a good one for you. Maybe 'Drafting Drinks,' but that's pretty advanced. I like 'The White Light Within,' but you really need to understand at least N.E.W.T. level Charms first. Can I think about it a bit?"

"Sure. Why don't you owl a list to me. I should be around for a few more months before I leave the country," Kaho said.

"I can do that," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Thanks again for all your help," Sakura said before she and the others took their leave.

Sakura continued to lead the group on a meandering path through the winding corridors of Hogwarts Castle, trying to reach a door on the ground floor to cut across the courtyard and loop back to Kaho's office. As she walked, Keroberos flew out of her pocket and said, "Hey, this is that room that I scared Gloria and Lisa in."

"It is?" Sakura asked.

"What'd you do?" Syaoran asked.

"They were asking all sorts of questions about the cards, and saying I couldn't do any magic or anything," Keroberos said.

Sakura poked her head into the room Keroberos was pointing at. It looked just like any other disused classroom. It had random abandoned pieces of furniture in different states of disrepair strewn about. Maybe it had a couple more scorch marks on the walls. She couldn't remember the incident Keroberos referred to, but she had no reason to disbelieve him.

"I should have known, bullying a bunch of girls," Syaoran teased.

"What'd you say?" Keroberos retorted.

Sakura left the two of them to banter and continued on her way. They caught up with her and Kaho before they reached the end of the hall, as she knew they would.

Eventually Sakura found a door to the courtyard. When she opened it, she was almost blinded by the sunlight. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the increased light. The warm June day was so different than the cold, snow-covered days throughout winter that it was hard to imagine it was the same place.

The courtyard was open and clear, uninhibited by moving stairs and winding hallways. The direct path passed right by the greenhouses. It was the place she had had that battle with The Song. It was hard to imagine that that had only been a year prior. It felt longer. Luckily no other cards had run rampant since that day. Even for the few days Professor Lockhart had had the cards, nothing untoward had happened. If she had her way, a card would never run rampant again ever again. She hated for anything bad to happen to the cards, and she would do her best to make sure they would never again be in a position to be hurt or abused again.

"There's a lot of greenhouses here. I don't think we'll be able to find Professor Sprout," Sakura said.

"It's just as well. It's starting to get a bit late. Eriol probably has lunch waiting for us already," Kaho said, taking the lead.

As Sakura followed Kaho back to her office, she reflected on her time in Hogwarts Castle. A lot had happened over the years there. It was a shame she was leaving. There were still so many unexplored parts of the Scottish school of magic, no, the entire Western world of magic. It was a world she was leaving for now. Maybe not forever, but for now. Maybe one day, years from now after she had graduated and had more firmly established herself as an adult, she would be able to return. Until then, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had given her an invaluable foundation and starting point, but she knew she had her own path to chart and her own magic to discover.

* * *

Author's Note:

This seems like a good stopping point, for now and possibly forever. Everything is fully compliant with canon and all the loose ends are wrapped up. Kaho has left Hogwarts, to be replaced by a new Muggle Studies professor. Anthony is no longer spending substantial time with Lisa and Wayne, instead choosing to spend his time with Terry Boot and some other minor characters. Gloria has left Hogwarts for a different school. Sakura and Syaoran are on their way back to East Asia, paving the way for the reunion when Syaoran once again travel to Japan and joins Sakura in school. Everything is on track to fit right back into canon for both universes.

And so we have it. Another story which can finally be marked "Complete."

Much like this story's precursor, there could be a sequel to this story. It's a bit less likely, as reflected in the narration itself, but it's not impossible. I have a few more firm ideas now as compared to when I had first finished "Sakura and the Scottish School of Magic," both for a sequel as well as for a potential spin-off or two. However, I don't have any immediate plans to write them. Then again, I actually hadn't planned on writing this story yet either. There are two or three other ideas I had, but this one kind of forced itself to the front of the queue. So who knows what will happen? Regardless, if there is a sequel, spin-off, or something else, don't expect it in the near future.

In any case, this story was fun to write. It has had its high points and its low points. It was certainly very interesting to revisit an existing world, with the benefits and drawbacks that that entails. I hope you enjoyed returning to this world as much as I did.

* * *

Last Updated: September 6, 2014


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